UK intercepts Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in English Channel, PM says
Royal Marines and National Crime Agency officers boarded the tanker in a six-hour operation aimed at disrupting Russian oil revenues.
- British forces executed a high-stakes maritime interception Sunday morning, boarding and detaining a sanctioned Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the English Channel.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer personally authorized the early hours operation, framing the sweep as a direct signal to Moscow and writing on X that it "delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin's war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide."
- Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency officers boarded the tanker via a six-hour tactical operation, marking the very first UK-led physical interception of its kind under strict maritime enforcement protocols.
- The vessel has been identified as the SMYRTOS, which was attempting to transit one of the world's busiest shipping lanes to bypass G7 energy price caps and international trade sanctions.
- The tanker is currently being held at a provisional anchorage off the south coast of England, where federal investigators are assessing its cargo and documentation while monitoring the ship for any immediate environmental or safety hazards.
131 Articles
131 Articles
British commandos board Russian shadow fleet tanker, Zelensky grateful
British armed forces intercepted a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel on Sunday, for the first time leading an operation to disrupt the oil revenue that helps fund Russia’s war in Ukraine. The vessel Smyrtos, sailing under the Cameroon flag, was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency (NCA) officials in the early hours on Sunday, with support from Chinook helicopters and other aircraft, a friga…
The Russian phantom fleet includes oil ships used clandestinely by Russia to export its oil despite the international sanctions to which it is subject.
According to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Britain has intercepted an oil tanker from the so-called shadow fleet in the English Channel.
Sapo
PublicoThe British forces intercepted today in the Channel an oil tanker of the Russian ghost fleet, announced the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom. In the first operation of this type led by the United Kingdom, the ship SMYRTOS was approached by command of the Royal Marines and by specially trained security forces agents of the National Agency against Crime, despite Russia's efforts to circumvent sanctions and continue to fuel its barbaric wa…
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