BARDUFOSS, NORWAY- MARCH 17: UK Royal Marines attend the winter warfare coaching forward of the Chilly Response 2022, close to Bardufoss, Norway on March 17, 2022. UK Royal Marines, who kind the UKâs Commando Forces, have been firing varied weapons techniques, in addition to conducting lengthy patrols and amphibious landings throughout preparation to participate within the bi-annual Norwegian-led train Chilly Response 2022, which is a defensive train beneath a NATO Article 5 state of affairs. (Picture by NATO / Pool/Anadolu Company through Getty Pictures)
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British armed forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker within the early hours of Sunday, the U.Ok.’s Ministry of Defence stated.
“Within the first UK-led operation of its type, the vessel SMYRTOS was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and specifically skilled regulation enforcement officers from the Nationwide Crime Company,” the MoD stated in a press release.
U.Ok. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated he directed the interception because the tanker tried to go by way of the English Channel.
“This profitable operation delivers one more blow to Russia and reminds these fueling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s conflict in Ukraine that we are going to not allow them to conceal,” Starmer stated in a publish on X.
The vessel will probably be held off the U.Ok.’s south coast whereas investigations proceed, the MoD stated.
The U.Ok. has sanctioned greater than 500 vessels in its try to deal with the shadow fleet, Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis stated within the MoD’s assertion.
European international locations have been getting more durable on ships of their waters that try to move Russian oil in violation of worldwide sanctions.
Russia condemned on Wednesday a European Union determination to authorize EU vessels within the Mediterranean to cease and examine overseas ships suspected of being a part of a shadow fleet transporting Russian oil.
The EU stated on Monday it had expanded the mandate of Operation IRINI, its naval mission within the Mediterranean that was initially set as much as implement a United Nations arms embargo on Libya.
Russian Overseas Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated this posed a menace to maritime safety and accused the EU of intimidating civilian vessels.
She stated there was no such factor in worldwide regulation as a “shadow fleet”, and this time period was a “political fabrication” by the EU.
In accordance with U.S.-based suppose tank the Atlantic Council, the variety of vessels within the shadow fleet has grown considerably since Western governments imposed a $60-a-barrel worth cap on Russian oil exports in December 2022.
Transport dealer BRS estimated in August 2025 that vessels participating in illicit buying and selling, a few of which can be sanctioned, characterize 18.2% of world oil tanker tonnage.
– Reuters contributed to this story.
