British forces carried out their first operation to detain a vessel from Russia’s “shadow fleet” earlier today, according to a statement issued by the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD).
The operation targeted the sanctioned tanker Smyrtos (IMO: 9389100). In the early hours of June 14, Royal Marines and officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA), boarded the vessel in the English Channel, with the operation lasting close to six hours and involving Chinook, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat helicopters, a Royal Air Force P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft and the ships HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.
According to the IMO GISIS database, Smyrtos remains registered under the flag of Cameroon. Data from the vessel tracking platform Starboard Maritime Intelligence indicated that the tanker had been anchored in the Gulf of Finland with its automatic identification system (AIS) switched off since at least June 5 and had likely entered the port of Ust-Luga in Russia’s northern Leningrad Region, which was listed as its destination at the time. During the anchorage, the tanker’s draft changed, which usually indicates cargo operations and likely means the vessel was loaded.
Starboard Maritime Intelligence’s data shows the tanker left the anchorage area on June 7 and began moving west toward Port Said in Egypt. On June 11, the vessel left the Baltic Sea, later reaching the English Channel, where it was detained by British forces.
After the inspection, the vessel will be moved to an anchorage off England’s southern coast, where it will remain under British authorities’ supervision during the investigation.
According to Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the tanker Smyrtos was used to transport Russian oil and petroleum products under existing G7 and EU restrictions and the price cap mechanism. Ukrainian officials say the vessel has been involved in exporting Russian petroleum products since at least March 2025, mainly on routes from the port of Kozmino in Russia’s Far East.
Over the past year, several countries have placed the vessel under sanctions. The European Union added the tanker to its sanctions list July 20, 2025, citing the transport of Russian oil and the use of high-risk shipping practices. Sanctions were later imposed by Switzerland on Aug. 12, 2025, the UK on Oct. 15, 2025, Ukraine on Dec. 13, 2025, and Canada on Feb. 19, 2026.
Ukrainian intelligence also links the tanker to Seychelles-registered Daira Shipping Ltd. and Singapore-based manager Crest Maritime Pte Ltd., whose fleet includes other vessels involved in exporting Russian petroleum products.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the operation “yet another blow to Russia” and said it should serve as a warning to those helping finance the war against Ukraine.
“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,” Starmer wrote on X.
Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis said Russia uses the “shadow fleet” to finance the ongoing invasion and that the UK authorities’ actions are aimed at cutting those revenues. According to the UK government, Russia’s “shadow fleet” is made up of over 700 vessels that carry about 75% of Russian oil shipped in circumvention of international sanctions, with the proceeds from the shipments used to finance the production of missiles and drones used in the war against Ukraine.
The British government said the operation was carried out in accordance with international and domestic law. In March, Keir Starmer authorized Britain’s armed forces and law enforcement agencies to inspect and detain UK-sanctioned “shadow fleet” vessels in the country’s territorial waters. Hundreds of “shadow fleet” ships passed through the English Channel since the announcement, with Russian Navy ships, such as the Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Grigorovich, escorting some tankers during their voyages.
One of the ships previously involved in the escorts, the corvette Boikiy, was struck by Ukrainian drones on June 3 while in a dry dock in the port of Kronstadt outside St. Petersburg. Open source intelligence (OSINT) analysts have suggested the ship may be decommissioned due to the amount of damage it sustained in the attack.
The UK MoD said the June 14 operation was “conducted in close coordination” with France and was the first such operation led by London.
