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4 British Royal Navy patrol boats will be ready from 1 January to help the UK protect its fishing waters should Britain leave the European Union without a deal, in a spread reminiscent of the “Wars of the World. cod “in the 1970s..
The 80-meter-long armed vessels will have the ability to stop, control and seize all European Union fishing vessels operating within the UK’s exclusive economic zone, which may extend 200 miles offshore, according to the British newspaper “The Guardian”.
Navy sources said the deployment was long-planned, but comes after Conservative ministers have quietly doubled the total patrol fleet from 4 to 8, in the event of a crisis caused by Brexit without a deal..
An insider added to the newspaper: We have done everything possible to ensure that we are prepared for any eventuality..
Although the patrol boats carry submachine guns, they are not expected to be used against European Union fishing boats and can instead be thrown alongside the boat if they think you are breaking the rules and then search them if necessary..
In extreme cases, an EU boat could be seized and taken to the nearest UK port, and no one would fire warning shots at French fishermen. “Firearms are not used except when there is a threat to life,” said the naval source.“.
During the “Cod Wars” between British and Icelandic trawlers in the early 1970s, fishing nets were cut off and boats were regularly hit from both sides. In several incidents, shots were fired.
Fishing remains one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the turbulent trade negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom.
