Russia: Shipping
2026-06-17 · Ministry of Defence · 11276 · Official question
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of interdicting sanctioned Russian Shadow Fleet vessels in the English Channel under a) Article 19 or b) Article 21 of UNCLOS.
Answer
The Ministry of Defence continuously monitors maritime activity in UK waters. Any enforcement action is considered on a case‑by‑case basis. We will not provide details on our decision-making process as this could compromise our ability to successfully tak...