British-led forces intercept Russian shadow-fleet tanker in the English Channel in first such operation
Royal Marine commandos and specialist crime agency officers boarded the Cameroon-flagged oil tanker Smyrtos on Sunday, halting its Channel passage in what London called a strike against the network financing Moscow's war in Ukraine.
The operation
In the early hours of 14 June, Royal Marine commandos and specially trained officers from the National Crime Agency boarded the 244-metre oil tanker Smyrtos as it attempted to transit the English Channel. The vessel, flying the Cameroonian flag and coming from a Russian port, is part of the shadow fleet Moscow uses to circumvent sanctions on its oil exports.
The six-hour mission was supported by helicopters, a P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft from the Royal Air Force and the naval vessels HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury. The tanker is now being held at an anchorage off the south coast of England and monitored for environmental and safety risks while investigations continue.
The operation was conducted in close coordination with France, marking the first British-led interdiction of its kind since London authorised boarding of sanctioned shadow-fleet ships in March.
Political reactions
Russia depends on its shadow fleet to finance its conflict in Ukraine, and our interception is a blow to Putin's illegal war.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the mission as yet another strike against those fuelling the Kremlin's war, saying on social media that those who enable it “cannot hide.” Defence secretary Jarvis added that disrupting the shadow fleet directly targets the resources underpinning Russian aggression and reduces its ability to threaten security in Europe and beyond.
Shadow fleet and sanctions
More than 700 vessels make up the shadow fleet, responsible for moving around 75 per cent of sanctioned Russian oil, according to the UK defence ministry. Britain has already imposed sanctions on nearly 600 ships, banning them from its ports and infrastructure. The ships are often ageing, registered under flags of convenience through opaque corporate structures, and operate with far less oversight than standard commercial tankers.
- Britain authorises boarding of sanctioned Russian shadow-fleet ships in its waters
- France stops tanker Tagor in the Atlantic with UK helicopter support
- First UK-led operation boards tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel
Earlier enforcement action
On 1 June, the French navy, with British helicopter support, stopped the tanker Tagor in the Atlantic. President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the action, which prompted an angry response from Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called that seizure an act bordering on “international piracy,” according to Russian state media. No official Russian reaction to the latest British-led boarding had been reported by Sunday morning.
