A Russian shadow fleet tanker has entered the English Channel for the first time since UK forces seized the MV Smyrtos early on Sunday, according to ship-tracking data.
Russian Tanker MV Forwarder Tracked
The Russian-flagged tanker MV Forwarder has been in the Channel since Wednesday afternoon after departing from Primorsk, Russia's largest Baltic Sea port, laden with oil last week, as reported by the BBC, citing satellite imagery. Ship tracking software suggests a Royal Navy vessel is shadowing the tanker through UK waters.
The tanker, which was sanctioned by the UK, the US, and the EU in 2025, is broadcasting its final destination as Dongying port in China.
Royal Navy Presence
Ship-tracking data appear to show the Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Tyne operating in the vicinity of the tanker. This marks the first time a UK-sanctioned shadow fleet vessel has sailed in the Channel since the seizure of the Smyrtos by Royal Marine commandos and National Crime Agency officers.
Following the UK-led operation to detain a sanctioned vessel, tracking data revealed that several sanctioned ships have altered course to avoid the Channel, the BBC reported.
The Mirror has approached the Ministry of Defence for comment.
Captain Charged
This development comes after the captain of the Smyrtos, which was carrying 98,000 tonnes of oil, appeared in court charged with breaching sanctions. Ajay Pant, a 38-year-old Indian national, has been charged with directly or indirectly supplying or delivering prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country in June 2026, contravening Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
Pant appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court via video link from Bournemouth police station on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing, where he confirmed his name, date of birth, and gave his address as being in India. He indicated no plea, and his solicitor, James Diamond, requested the case be sent to the Crown Court. District Judge David Robinson, appearing via video link from Portsmouth, sent the case for a plea and trial preparation hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court on July 16 and remanded Pant in custody.
The court heard that the oil tanker was part of Russia's clandestine fleet of 700 ships, which acts as its lifeline by transporting 75% of its oil and helping fund the war against Ukraine. The MV Smyrtos has been formally prevented from leaving the UK. The 24 crew members, from Georgia and India, remain on board the ship, anchored off Weymouth in Dorset.
