British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's decision on March 25 to allow the British military to inspect ships belonging to Russia's "dark fleet" seems to have not created a clear impact on the number of ships passing through British waters.
In the month after Mr. Starmer's announcement, at least 98 Russian ships subject to UK sanctions passed through UK waters, almost equivalent to the level of each month in the previous 3 months.
There has been no announcement about boarding ships for inspection or arrest of the aforementioned ships. These ships often have unclear ownership structures and can transport oil, cereals and weapons.
Tracking data from the London Securities Exchange Group (LSEG) shows that 63 ships entered a range of 12 nautical miles from the coast in the English Channel, the most direct route connecting the Baltic Sea with Southern Europe.
In addition, 35 other ships passed through the British Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) - an area stretching up to 200 nautical miles from the coast, mainly around northern Scotland.
If you want to be effective, you must quickly deploy ship inspections. Otherwise, those ships will conclude that this is just a mere threat and unfortunately the situation is like that," said Elisabeth Braw, a maritime security expert at the Atlantic Council based in Washington, USA.
In recent months, other European countries such as France, Belgium and Sweden have inspected and arrested ships belonging to Russia's "dark fleet".
Once a famous naval power, the British Navy is currently the smallest in scale since the 17th century. Meanwhile, the country's military is having to meet the requirements of allies for operational support in Eastern Europe, the Arctic and the Middle East.
London is currently putting 544 ships believed to be related to Russia's "dark fleet" on the sanctions list.
Data also shows that at least 10 ships passing through British waters engaged in "spoofing", which means turning off positioning devices or interfering with tracking signals while moving.
The Kremlin believes that sanctions against Russian ships are illegal, and calls Britain's latest policy a "deep hostile act" that could lead to retaliation.
According to analysts, the UK's lack of strong action after the decision on March 25 reflects many difficulties, including the lack of specialized coast guard forces such as France or Sweden, along with legal and economic troubles when handling a large number of ships.
