UK Forces Seize Russian-Linked ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker

British forces have seized a Russian-linked oil tanker suspected of breaching sanctions while transiting the English Channel on Sunday, in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as a significant setback for Moscow’s efforts to fund its war in Ukraine.

“This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide,” Starmer wrote in a post on X on Sunday.

Following the raid, officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested an Indian national on suspicion of sanctions offences, while the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the seizure of the tanker Smyrtos.

The operation marks the first UK-led mission in which British forces have boarded and detained a vessel from Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” — a network of hundreds of tankers used to transport Russian oil and circumvent Western sanctions imposed following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

According to vessel-tracking website MarineTraffic, the Smyrtos, carrying 700,000 barrels of Russian oil and sailing under a Cameroonian flag, departed the Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga on June 5 and was bound for Port Said, Egypt.

The Smyrtos is recorded as being owned by Hong Kong-registered Zhao Yao Shipping Ltd, which also owns several other sanctioned tankers.

Its management company is listed as being based in Tamil Nadu, India.

The MoD said Royal Marines commandos and NCA officers boarded the tanker in a predawn raid on Sunday, descending onto the vessel by rope from Chinook helicopters. The operation was supported by other military aircraft, a Royal Navy frigate and a minehunter.

The NCA said 24 Georgian and Indian crew members remained aboard the vessel, which is now anchored off the Dorset coast.

The operation lasted six hours. The tanker will be moved to England’s south coast and monitored for any environmental or safety concerns, the ministry said.

The operation was carried out successfully despite the presence of the Russian warship Admiral Grigorovich nearby.

The frigate has been stationed near the UK since April and has escorted numerous Russian tankers through the English Channel.

It is unclear how close the vessel was to the Smyrtos at the time of the raid.

Following the operation, at least six other tankers immediately changed course away from the English Channel.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the UK in a post on X for “taking this important step against Russia’s oil fleet”.

Along with other Western nations, Britain has barred vessels linked to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” from entering its ports and prohibits British companies from providing insurance, brokerage or financial services to ships transporting Russian oil, which remains a crucial source of revenue for Russia amid its war effort in Ukraine.

Alexander Lord, a defence analyst at London-based intelligence firm Sibylline, told Al Jazeera that sanctions have increased costs and complications for Moscow but have not completely prevented Russia from continuing to export large volumes of oil.

“Russia has a significant customer base and continues to trade its oil at a heavy discount, particularly to countries such as India and China,” Lord said.

“The sanctions are undoubtedly causing problems for the Russian economy. But we are now well into the fifth year of the full-scale invasion [of Ukraine], and Russia is still exporting large quantities of oil.

“Russia is constantly trying to find loopholes to protect its fleet, using shadow-fleet vessels and changing names and ownership structures to circumvent sanctions and investigations.”