English Channel
- Jun 15
Royal Marines board Russian shadow-fleet tanker in first UK-led sanctions interception
British Royal Marines, supported by the National Crime Agency and RAF, boarded the Cameroon-flagged tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel early on Sunday, detaining what the UK government says is a vessel of Russia’s shadow fleet used to bypass oil sanctions. The six-hour operation marks the first UK-led interdiction of its kind.
- Jun 14
Royal Marines board Russian shadow tanker Smyrtos in English Channel, first such operation
In a dawn operation, British Royal Marine Commandos fast-roped from helicopters onto the Cameroon-flagged Smyrtos, detaining the vessel and its crew as part of efforts to choke off oil revenue fuelling Russia's war in Ukraine.
