The 244-metre oil tanker Smyrtos was boarded and seized off the south coast of England in a joint operation by the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Air Force and the National Crime Agency.
For the first time, the UK followed the lead of several NATO allies in seizing oil tankers suspected of being part of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’. Royal Marine Commandos and specialist civilian law enforcement officers were supported by Merlin, Wildcat and Chinook helicopters, P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and Royal Navy ships HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.
The Smyrtos, which officially flew the Cameroonian flag, departed from a Russian Baltic port on June 5, 2026. It has been on the UK’s list of sanctioned ships since July of last year.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously announced in March that such a seizure operation was fully permitted by law. The official government press release states: “Article 110 of UNCLOS allows warships to exercise their right of visit to check the flag if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the ship is stateless. If a ship is determined to be stateless, the United Kingdom may exercise the powers available under domestic law.”
The long-term future of the vessel, which is currently docked in Portland, Dorset, appears to be yet to be decided. We will continue to monitor for safety and environment in the future.
Britain captured a Shadow Tanker this morning.
SMYRTOS, 9389100, almost certainly has false flags with Cameroonian and Chinese owners and Indian management.
The last port is Ust Luga in Russia – hence the oil. https://t.co/T6UfzEfX3O pic.twitter.com/Hj78RCQWKm
— auonsson (@auonsson) June 14, 2026
The chosen seizure site brought into direct play some of Britain’s major maritime raiding capabilities, among other things. Naval helicopters can operate directly from RNAS Yeovilton base in Somerset. Although the UK government does not regularly comment on or confirm operational details of the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF), the world-renowned Special Boat Service (SBS) has its headquarters near Poole and is on standby for counter-terrorism and seizure operations such as this.
Confirmed to have played a key role in the operation, 42 Commando Squadron from Bickley Barracks, Plymouth, has also undergone specific preparations for boarding operations and has been validated as part of the new Special Operations Maritime Task Group as of February 2026.
Earlier this month, British forces assisted in the capture of the French-led tanker Tagor 400 nautical miles off the coast of Brittany. The United States, Belgium, Sweden, and Finland have all separately led similar operations.
BREAKING NEWS: Royal Marines have boarded a licensed Russian tanker in the English Channel for the first time, with support from the National Crime Agency.
The Smyrtos was captured during a six-hour military operation. pic.twitter.com/hucZQfdurs
— Tom Cotterill (@TomCotterillX) June 14, 2026
Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ consists of merchant ships used to evade international sanctions. These ships regularly change their flags and identities, disguise themselves as other ships or remain completely hidden from Automatic Identification System (AIS) screens, and use intermediate vessels to refuel at sea to avoid having to enter potentially unfriendly ports. Since one of the main cargoes of the Russian fleet is oil, Russia can continue to move its products between friendly countries even while under sanctions.
Details about what will happen to the crew members found on board the ship have not yet been released. On previous boardings by NATO allies, the ship’s captain was arrested and charged.
This operation was the first public undertaking undertaken by the United Kingdom Commandos (UKCF) under its new name. The UKCF, formerly known as 3 Commando Brigade, is a special operations focused division of the Royal Marines and is made up of Royal Marines personnel as well as members of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and British Army who have completed the All Arms Commando Course.
a letter i sent to the prime minister pic.twitter.com/j9z9nmLCb1
— John Healey (@JohnHealey_MP) June 11, 2026
It was also the first major operation overseen by new Secretary of Defense Dan Jarvis. Jarvis was promoted from his position as home security secretary on June 11 following the resignation of John Healey. Jarvis claimed the government was unprepared for the global security situation and would not release funds it believed were needed to strengthen the British military.
