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Sanctioned Russian shadow ship loitering above Africa Coast–Europe (ACE) submarine communications cable
On Feb 18, the 'Sparta IV', part of Moscow’s shadow fleet, spent several days positioned above the Africa Coast–Europe (ACE) submarine communications cable while escorted by Russian Navy ships. The ship was operating in international waters but deliberately avoided entering Portugal’s exclusive economic zone, maintaining a distance of approximately 35 nautical miles from the country’s maritime boundary. Officially, the vessel’s presence in the area was attributed to adverse weather conditions. However, other commercial ships in the same region were able to continue normal operations without significant disruptions. The extended positioning of the 'Sparta IV' directly above the strategic undersea cable, combined with the naval escort, has raised suspicions that the vessel may have been conducting seabed mapping or surveillance activities. or probing NATO/EU/Portuguese monitoring and response by skirting the EEZ boundary. On Feb 12 the 'Sparta IV' was located in the central eastern English Channel, southwest of Dover, approaching the Dover Strait convergence zone. The navigational patterns were under continuous monitoring. The 'Sparta IV' belongs to the Russian SK-Yug LLC, a shipping company under sanctions and a subsidiary of Oboronlogistika LLC—itself a sanctioned entity. Oboronlogistika is part of Russia’s military construction complex under the Ministry of Defense and serves as the sole transportation contractor for the Russian defense ministry. The company supports military logistics operations, including troop movements within Russia and cargo deliveries to temporary occupied Crimea. The 'Sparta IV' was under US sanctions.
Sanctioned vessel monitored by Portuguese Airforce
The 'Sparta IV', sanctioned and linked to military transport, was being closely shadowed by a Portuguese Air Force Lockheed P-3C Orion and a Tekever AR5 drone as of Feb 16. The vessel appeared to be sailing north toward Kaliningrad to beat the severe weather forecasted for the Bay of Biscay on Feb 18. Constant monitoring remained in effect as thr vessel moved through NATO’s area of interest. On Feb 15 the 'Sparta IV' left the Mediterranean bound for the Atlantic, escorted by the landing ship RFS 'Aleksandr Otrakovsky', of of the Ropucha class and belonging to the Northern Fleet. The maneuver was closely followed by the Royal Navy patrol boat HMS 'Cutlass', which departed from the Gibraltar naval base, and by a French Navy maritime patrol aircraft, the Atlantique ATL.2. The patrol vessel sailed in close proximity to the convoy for much of the crossing, while the French aircraft conducted aerial surveillance south of the Strait of Gibraltar, in a coordinated operation between NATO allies. The passage of the 'Sparta IV' also presented a significant change compared to previous transits. This time, it was not accompanied by either the destroyer 'Severomorsk' or the tanker 'Kama', which in previous days had operated alongside the Russian merchant ship, providing air defense and logistical support. Everything suggested that both ships reversed course towards the eastern Mediterranean, which was interpreted as a possible partial withdrawal of the Russian naval presence in the western Mediterranean. The escort by the RFS 'Aleksandr Otrakovsky' for a commercial cargo ship once again highlighted Moscow's "dual-use" logistics strategy, with civilian merchant vessels protected by military units. For NATO, these movements are key indicators of the maintenance of Russian supply chains in the context of the war in Ukraine. The intense monitoring during the crossing fitted the pattern of recent weeks and marked by increased Russian naval activity in the Mediterranean.The 'Sparta IV's departure could represent a strategic adjustment of the Russian presence in the area. Report with photos: https://www.europasur.es/campo-de-gibraltar/buques-rusos-sparta-iv-aleksandr-otrakovsky-estrecho-cutclass_0_2005916771.html#goog_rewarded
Convoy on the move again
After five days spent loitering east of Sardinia due to poor sea conditions, the Russian convoy composed of the 'Sparta IV', the Navy tanker 'Kama' and the destroyer RFS 'Severomorsk' appeared to be taking advantage of a brief improvement in the weather to leave the Tyrrhenian Sea and resume its transit toward Gibraltar. The Italian Navy frigate ITS 'Spartaco Schergat (F598)' was still shadowing the Russian convoy, having emitted a single plot a short while ago. The Russian ships were expected to move away from Sardinia and continue their voyage northward, ultimately heading back towards Russia. The convoy continued its westbound transit at a speed of around 10 kt on Feb 10. After five days monitoring the Russian naval group that had been operating east of Sardinia, the Italian Navy concluded its shadowing mission on Feb 11. Following the westward departure of the Russian vessels, the ITS 'Spartaco Schergat (F598)' and ITS 'Emilio Bianchi (F589)' disengaged and returned to routine activities. It remained to be seen whether the Russian convoy would proceed all the way to Gibraltar or seek shelter along the Algerian coast in response to the deteriorating marine weather conditions forecast for the coming days. The 'Sparta IV' showed Kaliningrad as port of destination with an ETA as of Feb 17.
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