The Royal Navy has been monitoring a Russian cargo ship described as “suspicious” after it spent around 14 hours stationary near undersea data cables in the Bristol Channel. The vessel, identified as the Sinegorsk, entered the channel on Tuesday night and appeared to anchor roughly two miles off Minehead, on the north coast of Somerset.
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The ship’s position placed it close to several major telecommunications cables linking the UK with the United States, Canada, Spain and Portugal. MarineTraffic data showed the Sinegorsk remained stationary from late Tuesday evening until early Wednesday afternoon. Its last recorded port call was in Arkhangelsk, a Russian port that also hosts the headquarters of the Russian navy’s Northern Fleet.
Surveillance activity was observed during the vessel’s停 stay, including a Coastguard surveillance aircraft circling the area and a Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter later tracking the ship as it moved westward. While the helicopter type is capable of carrying anti-ship missiles and torpedoes, it is not known whether it was armed during the operation.
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The Ministry of Defence has not confirmed the ship’s purpose, although sources suggested it may have been sheltering from poor weather conditions. The incident follows previous cases in which Russian vessels have been linked to suspected interference with undersea infrastructure, heightening concerns over the security of critical maritime assets.
