Royal Navy: Advanced ship to be used to repel Russia and protect UK from "existential threat to security"

As reported in the Daily Express, the surveillance ship RFA Proteus will be used to protect cables in the North Sea and monitor vessels following a major overhaul. Having previously been used in the offshore oil industry, the 6,000-tonne ship has now had a £70m conversion.

She will act as a mothership for submersible drones, which can be launched in different weather conditions. A crew of up to 80 Royal Navy and Royal Marine specialists can work on board.

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RFA Proteus has now left Birkenhead, Merseyside, and is heading for Portsmouth. She is expected to be joined by another vessel in the next two years.

A senior source told the Daily Express: “This ship will be regularly deployed to monitor the 5,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines across the North Sea, as well as the extensive cable network. This is about protecting the UK and Europe from a clear and present danger."

The Royal Navy told the national publication that there will be “sea trials and evaluations”, with RFA Proteus being ready for operations later this year. One year ago, the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline was blown up as fighting escalated in the Russia-Ukraine war – creating fears that Moscow may retaliate.

Undersea cables are considered a vulnerable target as they carry £7trillion in daily financial transactions. Rishi Sunak said in a report in 2017, before becoming prime minister: "A successful attack on the UK's undersea cable infrastructure would be an existential threat to security."