The ships were seen east of the country, and nothing indicates that they were here for any purpose other than fishing.
Five Russian ships caught the attention of the Icelandic Coast Guard yesterday morning as they were fishing just outside Iceland’s exclusive economic zone.
The Coast Guard reported this in a statement, noting that it has, over the years, regularly observed Russian fishing vessels engaged in deep-sea redfish fishing on the Reykjanes Ridge, outside Icelandic waters.
Monitoring vessel movements
However, Russian fishing activity right on the boundary east of Iceland — as was the case yesterday — has not been common until now. The vessels were within Faroese jurisdiction and at some distance from the FARICE-1 submarine cable, which provides Iceland with international connectivity.
“Coast Guard patrol vessels have recently been conducting surveillance off the east coast and have, among other things, boarded foreign vessels engaged in herring fishing within the Icelandic EEZ. The movements of these vessels will continue to be closely monitored.”
“We want to know who is in our backyard”
ÁsgeirErlendsson, communications director of the Coast Guard, told mbl.is that nothing indicates the Russian vessels are near Iceland for any purpose other than fishing.
“Our analysis suggests these are fishing vessels,” Erlendsson says. “Our conversations with neighbouring countries support that conclusion, and the vessels are clearly on trawling trips.”
The Coast Guard has recently noticed increased activity by foreign fishing vessels in areas adjacent to Icelandic waters and emphasises the need to ensure that such vessels remain outside the EEZ.