Source · Select Committees · National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
Recommendation 10
10
Not Addressed
The UK needs more confidence in access to cable repair vessels: the current fleet is...
Conclusion
The UK needs more confidence in access to cable repair vessels: the current fleet is ageing, and erstwhile UK businesses have been acquired by foreign entities. (Conclusion, Paragraph 71)
Government Response Summary
The government's response discusses UNCLOS and legal aspects of countering suspicious vessels, explicitly stating it does not accept reliance on piracy provisions or publishing a legal opinion, thereby failing to address the concern about access to cable repair vessels.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
We partially agree with this recommendation. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is the cornerstone of international law on ocean related issues. Upholding UNCLOS is central to the UK’s maritime policy. The Government keeps under continuous review options to counter suspicious vessels, and any proposed measures regarding protection of critical underwater infrastructure must be consistent with UNCLOS. The Government does not consider reliance on UNCLOS piracy provisions to be an appropriate solution to tackling malign activity against submarine cables and pipelines. Various international partners, including major maritime States, share this view. Any measure taken to tackle this issue— including extending criminal jurisdiction—must be consistent with UNCLOS. The Government does not consider it necessary or appropriate to commission and publish an external legal opinion on this issue. The Government would underscore both the reciprocity risk of adopting novel interpretations of UNCLOS, as discussed in the report, and the potential to undermine the international legal framework. It is essential to avoid adopting positions that could be used to our detriment by other States.