Royal Navy leads interdiction of shadow fleet tanker in the English Channel

Green berets from 42 Commando – alongside specially-trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency – boarded the vessel Smyrtos in a six-hour mission alongside HMS Sutherland, HMS Ledbury, Merlin Mk4s from the Commando Helicopter Force, Wildcat helicopters and RAF chinooks and P8 Poseidon.

The Smyrtos – which was sailing westbound through the Channel – is currently being held in at anchorage off Portland after being escorted there by Sutherland and Ledbury and is being monitored for any environmental or safety concerns.

The enforcement action against this vessel took place in international waters and was carried out in accordance with domestic and international law in an operation spanning midnight on Saturday till the first hours of daylight on Sunday.

The operation builds on recent support provided by the UK to its allies to interdict shadow fleet vessels, which included RAF and Royal Navy capabilities supporting US and French operations. This particularly operation was conducted in close coordination with the French.

By disrupting the shadow fleet, the UK and international partners are directly bearing down on the resources sustaining Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and reducing its capacity to threaten security across Europe and beyond.

Responsible for carrying 75 per cent of Russia’s sanctioned oil, the shadow fleet of more than 700 vessels provides a critical lifeline for the Kremlin, generating a war fund that supplies missiles and drones targeting innocent Ukrainian civilians and sustaining Russia’s illegal war.

The UK is a leader in tackling the shadow fleet, having already sanctioned over 500 vessels. And these sanctions are working, Russia’s oil and gas revenues fell by 24 per cent year-on-year in 2025.

The actions over the weekend are intended to send a clear message to Russia that the UK will use the full range of legal tools available to enforce those sanctions and protect our security.

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said: “Operations like this require skill, professionalism and courage. I pay tribute to our Armed Forces personnel and all those involved.

“Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund their conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction delivers a blow to Putin’s illegal war.”

While this operation was taking place, HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey, carried out a routine operation to shadow Russian frigate RFN Admiral Grigorovich in the Channel, west of Brest in France.

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