Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
It was anchored over critical undersea cables.
The Royal Navy has kept close watch this week on a Russian-linked vessel after it stopped for hours in waters off southern England, The Independent and The Daily Express US reports.
The ship’s location raised concern because of what lies beneath the seabed nearby.
Officials say the incident highlights growing unease about the security of critical infrastructure at sea, amid wider tensions with Moscow.
Unusual pause at sea
According to the reports, the cargo ship Sinegorsk entered the Bristol Channel on Tuesday evening and appeared to anchor around two miles off Minehead, on the north Somerset coast.
Tracking data showed the vessel remained stationary for roughly 14 hours before moving on Wednesday afternoon.
MarineTraffic data indicated the ship stopped shortly before 11pm and did not resume sailing until around 2pm the following day. Five undersea telecommunications cables run within three quarters of a mile of that position.
Cables and concerns
Two of the nearby cables form part of the TGN Atlantic system linking the UK and New York. Another, the EXA Express cable, connects Britain with Nova Scotia in Canada, a major communications hub.
Two further cables link the UK with Spain and Portugal, The Telegraph reported.
Alicia Kearns, the shadow security minister, said: “The movements of this Russian ship are deeply suspicious, right over our transatlantic deep-sea data cables. Yet another reminder of the persistent and pernicious threats our country faces from Putin and his allies.”
Military monitoring
Flight tracking showed a Coastguard surveillance aircraft circling the vessel for about 30 minutes on Wednesday morning. Later, a Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter from RNAS Yeovilton was observed monitoring the ship as it headed west.
The Ministry of Defence suggested the vessel may have sought shelter from poor weather. The Met Office had forecast Force 6 winds and moderate to rough seas.
A recognizable pattern
Russian ships have previously been linked to incidents involving undersea infrastructure.
In December, Finnish authorities detained a Russian tanker after cables between Helsinki and Tallinn were damaged.
And on January 23 2026, Reuters reported that the UK Royal Navy was coordinating with NATO-allies in tracking a Russian vessel sailing through the English Channel.
Sources: The Independent, The Daily Express US, Reuters, The Telegraph
