France Threatens To Cut Off Electricity Supply, England Sends Two Naval Ships

The boat dock at St. Aubin, Jersey Island. (Wikimedia Commons / Marilyn Peddle)

JAKARTA - England sent two Navy patrol boats to the Island of Jersey, the Channel Islands after France threatened to cut off electricity supply to the island.

The threat was issued, in line with restrictions on access for French fishermen if fishermen do not have full access to fish in the territorial waters around the islands, which are included in British territory, subject to post-Brexit trade terms.

England Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged full support for the island after he spoke with Jersey officials about the threat of a French blockade.

"Prime Minister Johnson stressed the urgent need to reduce tensions. As a precaution, England will send two Offshore Patrol Boats to monitor the situation", said a spokesman for Prime Minister Johnson, reported by Reuters, Thursday, May 6.

Earlier, French Maritime Minister Annick Girardin said he was fed up with knowing the Island of Jersey had issued 41 licenses with conditions imposed unilaterally, including the time French fishing vessels could spend in its waters.

"In the (Brexit) agreement there are retaliatory measures. Well, we are ready to use them", Girardin told the French National Assembly on Tuesday.

"Regarding Jersey, I remind you of the delivery of electricity via underwater cables. Even if it is regrettable, if we have to do it (disconnection), we will do it if necessary", he stressed.

With a population of 108,000, Jersey imports 95 percent of its electricity from France, with diesel generators and gas turbines providing back-up, according to energy news agency S&P Global Platts.

The Jersey government said France and the European Union had raised their objections to the conditions that England imposed on issuing fishing permits.

Separately, Jersey Minister of Foreign Relations Ian Gorst said the island had issued permits by post-Brexit trade terms. And, those assigning new licenses must reflect how much time ships spent in Jersey waters before Brexit.

"We are entering a new era and it will take time for all to adjust. Jersey has consistently demonstrated its commitment to finding a smooth transition to the new regime", Horst said in a statement.

To note, the Island of Jersey is located 14 miles (23 km) off the north coast of France and 85 miles (140 km) south of the coast of England.

The French threat is the latest fluctuation over fishing rights between the two countries. Last month, French trawlers, angered by delays in permits to fish in British waters, blocked trucks carrying fish to land in England with burning barricades as they arrived in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Europe's largest seafood processing center.