British Navy Frigate On Hand to Track Russian Ships in North Sea - Reports

LONDON (Sputnik) - The HMS Westminster frigate of the UK Royal Navy is currently in the North Sea, ready to watch for Russian submarines, The Telegraph reports.

The frigate, which was last upgraded in 2014 and is equipped with the Sea Ceptor surface-to-air missile system, is being held at "very high readiness" in the Shetland Islands, the newspaper said on Saturday.

According to The Telegraph, HMS Westminster is ready to track Russian ships and submarines allegedly returning home to Severomorsk for the Orthodox Christmas, which is celebrated on January 7.

The outlet further noted that the ship's main role over the holidays will be to use the array sonar it is fitted with in order to listen for submarines in the area.

With the rock of Gibraltar in the background, Britain's Royal Navy ship HMS Westminster sails along the Gibraltar stretch near to La Linea de la Concepcion, Spain, Monday, Aug. 19, 2013. The British government said it is considering taking Spain to court if it does not ease border checks on traffic entering the disputed enclave of Gibraltar. Spain has long laid claim to Gibraltar, and the tiny territory on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula is the source of occasional diplomatic friction between Madrid and London. The latest spat involved an artificial reef being built in Gibraltar that Spain said is hurting its fishermen. It also floated the idea of charging people entering and leaving Gibraltar 50 euros ($66) to provide compensation for the losses that the fishermen face.

© AP Photo / Laura Leon

The newspaper added that, coincidentally, a nuclear-armed Royal Navy submarine was seen leaving its base in Faslane, Scotland, on December 23. However, the sub is only conducting training and is not yet on deployment, according to The Telegraph.