British forces intercept Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in English Channel

British armed forces have intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel the early hours of Sunday morning, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

In an operation lasting six hours, Royal Marine Commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency boarded the vessel, supported by the RAF.

The vessel, Smyrtos, will be held and monitored off the south coast of England as investigations continue, the MoD said in a statement.

Sir Keir Starmer said: "This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin's war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide."

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said: "Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund their conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction delivers a blow to Putin's illegal war."

The operation was supported with aircraft from the Maritime Air Group, an RAF P-8 aircraft, as well as HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.

According to tracking website MarineTraffic, Smyrtos sails under a Cameroon flag and is at anchor in the English Channel.

Russia has been operating a "shadow fleet" of tankers with obscure ownership structures to evade international sanctions imposed on its oil exports.

Responsible for carrying 75% of Russia's sanctioned oil, the shadow fleet of over 700 vessels provides a critical lifeline for the Kremlin, the MoD said.

The UK has already sanctioned more than 500 vessels.

The sanctions ban the vessels from entering UK ports and also prohibit British firms and individuals from providing financial, insurance, or brokerage services to ships that supply or deliver Russian oil.

The government has said it is targeting Russia's oil revenues to "choke off funding for Russia's war machine" in Ukraine.

The operation on Sunday morning was conducted in close co-ordination with the French, the MoD said, building on recent support provided by the UK to its allies.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on 1 June that his country's military had intercepted a sanctioned oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet on Sunday with UK support.

A British helicopter had provided support during the operation, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) told the BBC.