British patrolmen will return from Jersey to their base

He added, along with the Jersey authorities, that one of the ships would embark on a home base in Portsmouth in the south of England on the night of Thursday for Friday, and the other on Friday morning. The British government expressed its satisfaction that French fishing boats had left the Jersey area and felt that the situation had now been resolved. However, he assured that he would remain on alert if it were necessary to help the authorities of the British Crown's independence lying on the Channel.

London sent two HMS Severn and HMS Tamar patrols on Wednesday evening in response to Paris' threats that it would cut off the supply of electricity to the island – on which 95 percent of electricity is supplied by submarines from France – as well as in connection with the announcements of protest by French fishermen at the entrance to its main port, St Helier. On Thursday also France sent two of its patrol boats to waters near Jersey.

The protest of French fishermen, in which nearly 60 boats took part, ended on Thursday early afternoon, after which all boats sailed towards France. Jersey government chief John Le Fondre later said that French fishermen protested "peacefully and with respect", and a direct discussion with them "allowed both parties a better understanding" of how the challenges of the new trade agreement could be resolved.

French fishermen are protesting the new fishing rules introduced by the Jersey Government last week under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union (TCA), which require them to demonstrate that they have a history of fishing in the waters of Jersey. The French say additional requirements were added without notice. The authorities in Paris indicate that the "new technical measures" have not been notified to the EU, making them "unimportant".

Source: PAP/MD