Royal Navy: Two Russian ships sail "unescorted" through English Channel "due to lack of assets", Captain says

Capt Simon Booth, who served in the force for 37 years, said he spotted the vessels while steering the Morva tug boat yesterday morning (December 17). They were initially seen between 7.30am and 8am, he said, while being in sight until 12pm.

“I didn’t get close enough because they were further south than I was, but they looked remarkably like Russian ships to me,” Capt Booth told The News. “When I queried with a colleague within the RFA, whether we have this new policy of not escorting Russians, they said ‘no, we simply haven’t got enough assets.’”

Capt Booth said one of the Russian vessels was a Ropucha-class landing ship, with the other a class of frigate. He added that neither of them were transmitting their coordinates on the Automatic Identification System (AIS) - increasing the likelihood of them being of Russian origin. The system - which allows ships to share their position, speed, and further details with other vessels and shore stations - is used by all Nato aligned ships, including military vessels and research boats. Capt Booth was at sea operating Morva for A&P Group, who are carrying out work in the Falmouth and Great Yarmouth area.

The sailor said he was surprised the ships were not monitored by the Royal Navy or RFA. “That’s a basic requirement of the government, the security of our nation,” Capt Booth added. “To say that we allow an aggressor state, which all of our recent prime ministers have said Russia is, to allow their warships to transit through our waters without an escort seems hugely rash. The Russians wouldn’t allow us to do the same to them.”

When asked about the ships, and if they were Russian, a Royal Navy spokesperson said: “Russian vessels regularly pass through the English Channel, which is an internationally recognised shipping lane. The Royal Navy monitors and patrols the UK’s territorial waters and areas of interest utilising both maritime and airborne assets. We are committed to protecting our national interests and ensuring compliance with maritime law.”

Portsmouth-based frigate HMS Iron Duke recently shadowed two Russian task forces which travelled through The English Channel and in the North Sea. In November, two RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, after a Bear-F aircraft was spotted in the North Sea.