British forces boarded the sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel during a six hour operation early Saturday, in what the government called the first UK led interdiction of its kind. After the boarding, the vessel was directed to an anchorage off the south coast of England, where it will remain under investigation.
The boarding was carried out by Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency officers, supported by Royal Navy ships, military helicopters and an RAF P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the action was meant to disrupt funding for Russia war effort, while Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said Moscow relies on the shadow fleet to generate oil revenue. The UK government said the operation was conducted in close coordination with France.
Britain has now sanctioned nearly 600 vessels linked to the shadow fleet, which Western officials estimate at more than 700 ships moving roughly three quarters of Russia sanctioned oil exports. UK authorities said the boarding took place in international waters under provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that allow warships to verify a vessel nationality when there is reason to suspect it is operating without a valid flag.
The shadow fleet has grown since sanctions were imposed on Russian crude following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with operators using complex ownership structures, frequent flag changes and ship to ship transfers to obscure cargo origin. Western governments have also flagged safety and pollution risks, noting that more than 70 percent of the tankers in the fleet are over 15 years old and that dozens of incidents have been recorded in recent years.
Saturday action goes further than the document checks, port detentions and listings that the United States, France and other allies have leaned on so far, by physically boarding and holding a suspected sanctions violator at sea. For tanker owners, brokers and protection and indemnity clubs, the operation signals that the UK is prepared to seize vessels in the Channel, raising the operational and legal risk of carrying Russian oil along Europe busiest shipping lane.