Two Iranian warships discovered near the English Channel

Two Iranian warships are approaching the English Channel, according to satellite photos from USNI News. The ships are believed to be heading to the Baltic Sea to represent Iran in a naval parade on July 25 to commemorate the 325th anniversary of the Russian Navy off the coast of St. Petersburg.

The couple, the frigate IRINS Sahand and former oil tanker became the IRINS warship Makran sailed up the west coast of Africa and past Spain and France before approaching the south coast of England. The duo left Iran with guns and likely refined fuel in April and were scheduled to travel to Venezuela first before stopping off the coast of Senegal before heading for the North Atlantic.

As the ships pass through the English Channel, they are likely to be closely monitored by NATO warships. Until clear photos emerge, the question remains whether the converted tanker still has the fast boats it was hauling on board or is sailing deep in the water, suggesting it might be loaded with refined gas or oil.

The ship advanced slowly with a light frigate (Iran calls it “destroyer”) as an escort. Based on sporadic AIS (Automated Identification System) transmissions tracked through MarineTraffic.com, we can see that they were about a week outside of Dakar, Senegal. The AIS transmissions were intermittent and ambiguous at times, but open source intelligence experts were able to keep a reasonable view of their actual path.

USNI News illustration by HI Sutton

When Makran was first observed in November 2020, the ship was viewed by western observers as the forward baseship. This corresponded to its role that of the US Navy’s Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ships, such as the USS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams (ESB-4). ESBs serve as a floating base for operations and can carry or support a number of small boats and airplanes. Makran has practiced launching unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and mini-submarines for special forces, implying amphibious warfare. The navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards of Iran has two forward baseships, although both are much smaller than Makran.

Makran is a unique warship that entered service with the Iranian Navy in January. Although the exact definitions vary from navy to navy, there is a common understanding of what destroyers, frigates, and cruisers are. The same goes for naval auxiliaries such as oilers, submarine tenders, and hospital ships. The status of the converted oil tanker is still unclear. There is a natural suspicion that Iran Makran as a blockade runner who delivers fuel to sanctioned allies under the legal protection of a warship. While naval relief workers can support humanitarian efforts, using one to evade sanctions is a new test of international standards. Although there have been cases where surface combatants and submarines have been used to transport valuable cargo, Makran increases its survivability by applying international law.

HI Sutton graphic

The label of the Forward Base Ship is not entirely wrong. Makran is equipped with a large helipad (but no hangars) and can deploy small boats or mini-submarines from its deck. But when it sailed out of Iran in May, it appeared to be on a transport mission delivering seven missile boats to a foreign country. And later, USNI News determined that it was likely loaded with oil or fuel. When it did not lead to Venezuela, Syria was assumed to be the next likely destination.

Despite international sanctions, Iran exported fuel to Venezuela and Iran. However, some broadcasts have been banned by the US. Four shipments were confiscated in August 2020. Previously the tanker in July 2019 Grace 1 Iranian oil destined for Syria was seized in Gibraltar.

All the tankers involved were merchant ships. But Makran is a naval relief organization that offers it a certain amount of protection under international law. As a naval support ship, it is classified as a warship and is therefore entitled to sovereign immunity. Under the law of the sea, it is immune from the jurisdiction of any other state. Therefore, it or its cargo could not be confiscated in the same way as the civilian ships.

There is a tradeoff, however. As a naval relief organization, it is not entitled to martial rights during armed conflict in times of war. This means that it cannot carry out legitimate attacks. Anti-ship missiles as far-reaching as carried by another Iranian baseship Shahid Roudaki, could not be credibly incorporated. But Hit doesn’t get any of this, only helicopters, short-range cannons (six autocannon positions added), and machine guns are armed. And like US Navy Auxiliary Services, it can carry out the full range of naval support missions in peacetime or in war.

If Makran eventually delivers its cargo to Syria or to another customer, this may be the case for this new category of warships. But only countries that want to disregard international sanctions or embargoes could pursue a similar concept.

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