PORTLAND, ENGLAND – JUNE 14: Military helicopters are seen at the Smyrtos vessel outside the harbour, on June 14, 2026 in Portland, England. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Finnbarr Webster | Getty Images News | Getty Images<\/p>\n
British armed forces intercepted a Russian<\/a> shadow fleet oil tanker in the early hours of Sunday, the U.K.’s<\/a> Ministry of Defence said.<\/p>\n “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\u00a0National Crime Agency,” the MoD said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he directed the interception as the tanker attempted to pass through the English Channel.<\/p>\n “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<\/a>.<\/p>\n The vessel will be held off the U.K.’s south coast while investigations continue, the MoD said.<\/p>\n The U.K. has sanctioned more than 500 vessels in its attempt to tackle the shadow fleet, Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said in the MoD’s statement. <\/p>\n European countries have been getting tougher on ships in their waters that attempt to transport Russian oil in violation of international sanctions.<\/p>\n Russia condemned on Wednesday a European Union decision to authorize EU vessels in the Mediterranean to stop and inspect foreign ships suspected of being part of a shadow fleet transporting Russian oil. <\/p>\n The\u00a0EU\u00a0said on Monday it had expanded the mandate of Operation IRINI, its naval mission in the\u00a0Mediterranean\u00a0that was originally set up to enforce a United Nations arms embargo on Libya.<\/p>\n Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this posed a threat to maritime security and accused the\u00a0EU\u00a0of intimidating civilian\u00a0vessels.<\/p>\n She said there was no such thing in international law as a “shadow fleet”, and this term was a “political fabrication” by the\u00a0EU.<\/p>\n According to U.S.-based think tank the Atlantic Council, the number of vessels in the shadow fleet<\/a> has grown significantly since Western governments imposed a $60-a-barrel price cap on Russian oil exports in December 2022.<\/p>\n Shipping broker BRS estimated in August 2025 that vessels engaging in illicit trading, some of which may be sanctioned, represent 18.2% of global oil tanker tonnage<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2013 Reuters contributed to this story.<\/p>\n