Two ships from the British Navy have arrived off the coast of Jersey, where 80 French fishing vessels have gathered to protest the new fishing regulations.
According to The Guardian, HMS Severn and HMS Tamar are located a mile from the coast. At the same time, the British government assured that the ships with weapons on board were sent exclusively to “monitor the situation”.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already discussed the situation with Jersey Chief Minister John Le Fondre.
“The Prime Minister reaffirmed his unconditional support for Jersey and confirmed that two Royal Navy patrol ships will remain in place to monitor the situation as a precautionary measure”, – said a British government spokesman.
Recently, French anglers have faced obstacles in accessing the many fishing areas between 6 and 12 nautical miles off the British coast. The United Kingdom is delaying the licensing process, and the lack of such licenses for French fishermen could result in high fines for them.
Against this background, Paris even threatened to leave Jersey without electricity, which imports 95% of its energy from France via submarine cables.