U.K. Royal Navy Plans New Surveillance Base to Track Russian Shadow Fleet Ships

The U.K. Royal Navy is planning a new surveillance base in northeast England to monitor suspected Russian shadow fleet vessels using drones and uncrewed surface vessels as part of efforts to track activity near the gateway to the North Sea.

The Navy is assessing locations in the northeast of England but has not disclosed further details. One site under discussion is HMS Calliope in Gateshead, currently a Royal Navy Reserve training centre, which could be repurposed for the mission, bfbs Forces News reports.

The proposal is in the procurement phase and, if approved, would allow closer monitoring of vessels before they enter the English Channel. In recent months, several tankers believed to be part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet have transited the channel without being intercepted.

The Navy is understood to be considering the use of autonomous systems, including the Rattler, a 7.2-metre uncrewed surface vessel designed to resemble a rigid inflatable boat. During an exercise late last year, five Rattlers were remotely operated in a swarm formation around HMS Tyne, a River-class offshore patrol vessel acting as a hostile warship. The trial took place off Scotland, while the uncrewed craft were controlled from the Royal Navy’s technology trials ship, XV Patrick Blackett, operating from Portsmouth around 500 miles away.

The Ministry of Defence linked the surveillance effort to broader action against Russian maritime activity. A spokesperson said: “Deterring, disrupting, and degrading the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for this government. To date, we have imposed sanctions on over 500 Russia-related shadow fleet oil tankers and 16 liquefied natural gas tankers, and Russia’s critical oil revenues are down 27% compared to October 2024 – the lowest since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”

The spokesperson added: “Alongside our allies, we are stepping up our response to shadow vessels – and we will continue to do so. We will not comment on specific operational planning.”

A fortnight ago, the U.K. provided intel to the French Navy to intercept an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea that had travelled from Russia.

Last month, British forces supported a U.S. boarding team that detained the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera (formerly ‘Bella-1) as it travelled north and eastwards through the waters between Iceland and Scotland.

Russia's response

Russia's response to the Marinera seizure includes deploying warships to escort tankers, such as the Boykiy corvette escorting MT General Skobelev. Some shadow fleet vessels in the Baltic Sea now carry armed security teams to resist interdiction. The Russian Ambassador to the U.K., Andrey Kelin, warned that detaining vessels would be a "gross violation of international law" and "not go unpunished".

Russia is now said to be re-registering "shadow" tankers under its state flag for protection, making seizures more diplomatically complex. The Kremlin denies the existence of a "shadow fleet", calling the term discriminatory and attributing flag issues to "administrative delays."