U.S. Coast Guard officials said they are monitoring a Russian naval intelligence ship that has been lingering just outside U.S. territorial waters close to the Hawaiian islands for at least two weeks and is currently about 15 miles off the coast of Hawaii island.
The Russian Federation Navy Auxiliary General Intelligence vessel Kareliya, a Vishnya-class ship, was first detected Oct. 29 by the Coast Guard about 15 nautical miles off Oahu’s southern coast.
According to a Coast Guard news release today, “Under customary international law, foreign military vessels are permitted to transit and operate outside other nations’ territorial seas, which extend up to 12 nautical miles from shore.”
The Kareliya has been spotted three nautical miles beyond that point. The news release did not give the ship’s current location but a public affairs officer told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that it was in international waters off Hawaii island.
A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules from Air Station Barbers Point and the Cutter William Hart responded to the Russian vessel’s presence by conducting a safe, professional overflight and transiting near the ship, officials said.
“The U.S. Coast Guard routinely monitors maritime activity around the Hawaiian islands and throughout the Pacific to ensure the safety and security of U.S. waters,” Capt. Mathew Chong, chief of response, Coast Guard Oceania District, said. “Working in concert with partners and allies, our crews monitor and respond to foreign military vessel activity near our territorial waters to protect our maritime borders and defend our sovereign interests.”
The Kareliya and other Russian spy ships routinely visit the international waters off Hawaii, including in 2023, 2022 and 2021.
Source: The Garden Island
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