Armed Royal Marines fast-roped from a helicopter onto the deck of a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel in the early hours of Sunday, launching a six-hour operation that ended with the arrest of a 38-year-old Indian national on suspicion of sanctions offences.
The Ministry of Defence said the commandos, joined by National Crime Agency officers and backed by RAF aircraft, a frigate and a minehunter, intercepted the Smyrtos — a vessel carrying roughly 700,000 barrels of Russian crude oil worth an estimated £45m. It was the first UK-led interception of a shadow fleet ship.
“Royal Marines board Russian shadow tanker in Channel, arrest Indian national; six other sanctioned ships flee.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the operation “delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide.” Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis called it “a blow to Putin’s illegal war.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the UK, calling the interception an “important step” and urging Europe to take legislative steps to allow confiscation of oil carried by such tankers.
The Smyrtos, which sails under a Cameroon flag and was sanctioned in July 2025, began its journey on 5 June from Russia’s Ust-Luga port. It will be moved to an anchorage off the south coast of England and monitored for environmental or safety concerns. The NCA said 24 Georgian and Indian crew remained aboard and were assisting with the investigation.
Within hours of the boarding, at least six other sanctioned Russian oil tankers — the Lion I, Sona, Qasr, Pate, Maini and C-Viking — aborted their passages through the English Channel in a frantic 77-minute scramble, making sharp U-turns or changing course towards Ireland, according to tracking data.
The operation followed a March announcement by Starmer that British armed forces had received updated legal advice to board sanctioned vessels in UK waters. The MoD said the interception took place in international waters, more than 12 nautical miles from the coast, in full compliance with domestic and international law.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow, which has previously described similar interceptions as “bordering on international piracy.”