UK Takes Control of Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker.

In a six-hour operation, the first of its kind to be led by the UK, Royal Marine commandos and officers from the National Crime Agency boarded and took control of the vessel Smyrtos, which was sailing under a Cameroonian flag. The oil tanker is understood to be heading to a location off the Dorset coast, where it will be anchored.

In a press release, Westminster said Royal Marine Commandos and law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) boarded the Russian vessel Smyrtos early on Sunday morning in an operation that lasted six hours. The marines and NCA officers were supported by Chinook, Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, a Royal Air Force P-8 and the Royal Navy ships HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.

This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide, Starmer said in a post on X. "In the first UK-led operation of its kind, the vessel SMYRTOS was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The vessel will be held off the UK’s south coast while investigations continue, the Mo D said. Smyrtos will now be moved to anchor off the UK’s south coast, where authorities will monitor any safety or environmental concerns.

British authorities say the Smyrtos is one of 700 vessels in a shadow fleet responsible for carrying 75% of Russia’s sanctioned oil. Russia uses its shadow fleet to evade Western sanctions on its oil industry, which prevent Moscow from chartering or insuring tankers unless it complies with certain restrictions. Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said in the Mo D statement that the UK has sanctioned more than 500 vessels in its attempt to tackle the shadow fleet. The Sunday morning operation is the first time the UK has led such an endeavour, having previously provided support to the French military when it carried out a similar operation in the Atlantic.