British forces intercept Russian shadow fleet vessel in Channel, PM says

British forces boarded the vessel in the early hours of Sunday morning

The British armed forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet vessel in the Channel in the early hours of Sunday, the government has said.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Royal Marine commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency boarded a sanctioned oil tanker during a six-hour operation – the first UK-led operation of its kind.

The vessel Smyrtos will be provisionally moved to an anchorage off the south coast of England and will be monitored for any environmental or safety concerns.

According to the MoD, the operation was supported by aircraft from the Maritime Air Group (Chinooks, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat), an RAF P-8 aircraft, and HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.

British forces search the vessel. / Credit: Ministry of Defence

Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement: “This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling (President Vladimir) Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide.

“I want to pay tribute to all those involved, including our armed forces and law enforcement officers who keep this country safe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

In footage released by the MoD, personnel are shown boarding the vessel in the dark by fast-roping from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.

Further video clips show personnel armed with KS-1 rifles conducting searches of cabins aboard the vessel, while officers from the NCA inspect documentation and paperwork.

According to martime tracking website Marine Traffic, the Smyrtos is a Cameroonian-flagged oil tanker.

It departed from Russia’s Ust-Luga port near St. Petersburg on June 5 and was bound for Port Said in Egypt.

It is now anchored off the south coast of England near Weymouth.

The operation was carried out alongside French authorities, who have previously intercepted similar vessels with the assistance of British forces.

The government had faced criticism in the past that the UK’s armed forces did not have the capability to carry out such an operation.

In response to the seizure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “grateful” to the UK.

He said: “It was Russia’s hubris, fueled by high oil and gas revenues, that paved the way for this war, and every decision by partners that deprives Russia of money also limits the war itself.”

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said: “Operations like this require skill, professionalism and courage. I pay tribute to our armed forces personnel and all those involved.

“Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund their conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction delivers a blow to Putin’s illegal war.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch wrote on X: “I pay tribute to the brave Royal Marine Commandos who boarded a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker overnight in the English Channel.”