UK special forces board Russia-linked shadow fleet tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel
Royal Marine commandos and National Crime Agency officers intercepted the Cameroon-flagged vessel early on 14 June, in what London called the first UK-led operation of its kind.
The operation
British armed forces boarded the oil tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel during the early hours of Sunday, 14 June, after Prime Minister Keir Starmer personally directed the interception. The six-hour operation involved Royal Marine commandos and specially trained officers from the National Crime Agency, supported by maritime air group helicopters (including Chinooks), an RAF P-8 patrol aircraft, and the Royal Navy vessels HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed the vessel, which flies the Cameroonian flag, will be moved to an anchorage off England's south coast and monitored for environmental or safety concerns while investigations continue. Enforcement action in UK territorial waters was carried out in accordance with domestic and international law, the ministry said.
This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin's war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide.
Political reaction
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said the interdiction required "skill, professionalism and courage" and paid tribute to the personnel involved. He stressed that Russia depends on its shadow fleet to fund the conflict in Ukraine. The operation, he added, was conducted in close coordination with the French.
Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund their conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction delivers a blow to Putin's illegal war.
The ministry noted that in March the government had authorised British forces to board shadow fleet vessels in UK waters when conditions under international law were met. Sunday's boarding was the first time that authority was exercised.
The shadow fleet
Moscow has built a parallel network of ageing tankers with opaque ownership structures to keep moving crude and refined products despite Western sanctions. According to British estimates, the shadow fleet comprises more than 700 vessels and transports roughly 75% of Russia's sanctioned oil, providing a critical revenue stream for the Kremlin. The United Kingdom has already imposed sanctions on over 500 such ships, barring them from its ports and prohibiting British firms from offering financial, insurance or brokerage services to them.
Broader enforcement push
Britain's action is part of a widening European crackdown on the shadow fleet. On 1 June, France, with British support, detained the tanker Tagor approximately 400 nautical miles west of the Breton peninsula. The vessel was already under sanctions and suspected of belonging to the shadow fleet. France 24 reported that the recent easing of US restrictions on Russian oil (intended to cool prices that surged during the US-Israel conflict with Iran) has placed added scrutiny on sanctions-evasion routes passing through European waters.
"Disrupting the shadow fleet is directly bearing down on the resources sustaining Russia's aggression in Ukraine and reducing its capacity to threaten security across Europe and beyond," Jarvis added.
