Heavily armed Royal Marine commandos roped down from a Chinook helicopter onto the deck of the Smyrtos tanker in the early hours of Sunday, carrying out the first UK-led naval capture of a Russian shadow fleet vessel since the start of the war in Ukraine. The oil-laden ship, sailing under a Cameroonian flag but legally stateless after being expelled from that registry, was intercepted south of the Isle of Wight en route from Russia to India.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer released a video on TikTok showing the boarding and declared: “Another bad day to be Vladimir Putin. In the early hours of this morning, I directed our armed forces to intercept a shadow fleet oil tanker attempting to pass through the English Channel.” The Ministry of Defence said the six-hour operation had been months in the planning, involving specialist officers from the National Crime Agency who later inspected the seized tanker’s paperwork.
“British commandos boarded Russian shadow fleet oil tanker Smyrtos in English Channel, first UK-led naval capture since Ukraine war”
The Smyrtos was carrying more than 100,000 tonnes of Russian crude oil, according to maritime publication Lloyd’s List. Starmer said the successful operation “delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide”. He thanked the armed forces and law enforcement officers who “keep this country safe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year”.
The seizure came days after the resignation of defence secretary John Healey, who had accused Starmer of risking UK safety by refusing to increase defence budgets significantly by the end of parliament. Downing Street had announced in March that Starmer had given the green light for boarding shadow fleet tankers under sanction, but the prime minister’s rhetoric was notably heightened after the operation.
There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin. However, Russian senator Dmitry Rogozin, a former space agency chief, suggested booby trapping Russian tankers so they could in future be blown up if seized. The MoD released video showing marine commandos boarding the vessel at night, and the National Crime Agency’s presence underscored the legal and intelligence dimensions of the interception.