Iceland and the Faroe Islands accused the European Union yesterday of violating international maritime law, ratcheting up the tension in a row over fishing limits.

At the end of last month, EU member states in principle supported sanctions against the Faroe Islands in protest at its government’s decision to treble the limit on herring fishing.

Measures could include an import ban or closing EU ports to Faroese vessels, but they still require final endorsement from the executive European Commission, which is expected over the coming weeks.

EU officials have said herring sanctions are a first step towards similar measures against Iceland and the Faroe Islands in a long-running dispute over mackerel quotas.

The row has drawn comparisons with the “cod wars” of the 1950s and 1970s, and helped to derail Iceland’s EU membership bid.

A statement from the Faroese prime minister’s office said the government had requested an international tribunal to declare the European Union “in breach of its obligations” under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

It asked for EU authorities to be “ordered to refrain from the threat or adoption of coercive economic measures on the Faroe Islands”.

A separate statement from the prime minister of Iceland also accused the European Union of breaking UN maritime law, in particular the obligation on coastal states jointly to agree on measures to protect and develop shared fish stocks.

The five coastal states in question are the European Union, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway and the Russian Federation, which are scheduled to hold talks in London on September 2-3 over the management of herring stock. (Reuters)