---
title: "Britain to send seven Royal Navy ships to patrol areas with undersea cables"
description: "LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday it will send seven Royal Navy ships and a maritime patrol aircraft to take part in Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) patrols of areas with vulnerable undersea infrastructure next month."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-11-30-britain-to-send-seven-royal-navy-ships-to-patrol-areas-with-undersea-cables/"
published: "2023-11-30T04:30:11"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 208
---

# Britain to send seven Royal Navy ships to patrol areas with undersea cables

> LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday it will send seven Royal Navy ships and a maritime patrol aircraft to take part in Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) patrols of areas with vulnerable undersea infrastructure next month.

By Reuters · Published 30 November 2023, 06:30 SAST

## Key points
- As tensions mount in the Baltic Sea region, a 10-nation military alliance is sending a powerful message of deterrence with the deployment of six Royal Navy warships and other assets.
- Europe and NATO are concerned about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure around and under the Baltic Sea.
- JEF, a 10-nation military alliance, is focused on security in the region.
- UK will contribute six Royal Navy warships, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship and an RAF maritime patrol aircraft to JEF deployment.
- Vessels will be spaced to cover a wide area from the Channel to the Baltic Sea.

## Content

Europe and NATO have become increasingly concerned about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure around and under the Baltic Sea. JEF, a 10-nation military alliance of northern European countries, is focused on security in the High North, North Atlantic and Baltic Sea region.

Last month, Sweden said a Baltic Sea telecom cable connecting Sweden and Estonia was [damaged](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3BN5GV&linkedFromStory=true) at roughly the same time as a Finnish-Estonian pipeline and cable. That followed [explosions](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N30Z0RJ&linkedFromStory=true) in September 2022 that ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea and cut Europe's supply of Russian gas.

"The UK and our JEF partners will do whatever it takes to defend our mutual areas of interest, and today's display of unshakeable unity sends a powerful message of deterrence that we stand ready to meet any potential threat with force," British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said.

Britain said it will contribute six Royal Navy warships, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship, and a Royal Air Force maritime patrol aircraft to the JEF deployment to "patrol areas most vulnerable to interference, conduct surveillance operations, and act as a deterrent force against potential threats".

Vessels will be spaced to cover a wide area from the Channel to the Baltic Sea, it added.

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellanEditing by Bill Berkrot)