Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that British armed forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel early on Sunday, marking the first UK-led naval capture since the war in Ukraine began. The operation, involving Royal Marine commandos and the National Crime Agency, targeted the Smyrtos tanker carrying over 100,000 tonnes of Russian crude oil from Russia to India.
Starmer announced the operation on TikTok, stating, 'Another bad day to be Vladimir Putin. In the early hours of this morning, I directed our armed forces to intercept a shadow fleet oil tanker attempting to pass through the English Channel.' The Ministry of Defence said the six-hour mission had been planned for months.
The Smyrtos, previously sailing under a Cameroon flag but expelled from that registry, was boarded south of the Isle of Wight. Twenty-five crew members of various nationalities were captured without resistance. The vessel is now anchored off Dorset, near Weymouth, and will be monitored for environmental or safety concerns.
British authorities describe the Smyrtos as one of 700 vessels in a shadow fleet responsible for 75% of Russia's oil exports, providing critical revenue for the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude, urging Europe to take legislative steps to detain tankers and confiscate oil cargoes.
The operation was supported by Royal Navy vessels HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury, along with aircraft from the Maritime Air Group and an RAF P-8. Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis, appointed after John Healey's resignation, said, 'Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund their conflict in Ukraine.'
