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After Brexit, the dispute over fishing rights between the French and the British escalated: the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the dispatch of two warships to the sea area off the island of Jersey in the English Channel, which arrived there on Thursday.
London reacted to an impending port blockade by around 50 French fishing boats.
For its part, France sent two naval patrol ships.
The island of Jersey is around 30 kilometers off the French coast, and its waters are particularly rich in fish.
According to British information, the gunships "HMS Severn" and "HMS Tamar" arrived there to "monitor the situation".
It is a "purely preventive measure," said the Ministry of Defense in London.
Prime Minister Johnson had previously described the French fishermen's actions as "completely unjustified".
The French European Minister Clément Beaune told the AFP news agency that his country was "not intimidated".
Beaune called for a “quick and full application of the agreement” for Brexit.
The French Minister of the Sea, Annick Girardin, had previously threatened "retaliation" if London continued to restrict fishing rights in its waters.
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"We have the means," added Girardin, with a view to possible retaliation.
In this context, she brought switching off the power supply into play.
“I would be very sorry if we had to go that far”, but they would “do it if we have to.” Otherwise, you risk accessing the sea in other places as well.
According to Paris, London will only allow around 40 French ships to cast their nets off Jersey.
Accordingly, more than 340 boats were applied for.
The fishing rights were one of the sticking points in the trade agreement between the EU and the UK, which has been in full force since May 1st.
Jersey is only a few kilometers off the French coast, but is a British crown possession with its own administration. The island gets most of its power supply from France via an undersea cable.