UK intercepts oil tanker from Russia's shadow fleet in the English Channel
The UK Ministry of Defence said British forces on Sunday intercepted in the English Channel an oil tanker accused of belonging to Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" used to evade sanctions. The ministry described the operation as the "first UK-led operation of its kind". The tanker had previously been placed on the United Kingdom's sanctions list.
The operation, conducted jointly by Royal Navy and Border Force assets, took place near the edge of the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone in the English Channel. According to France 24, the Ministry of Defence said the intercepted vessel was already on Britain's sanctions list and was among the tankers under active monitoring. The ministry called the action the "first UK-led operation of its kind".
Since sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has been accused of running a fleet of hundreds of older tankers, often under opaque ownership or state-linked structures, to continue exporting crude. These vessels are reported to operate with missing or fraudulent insurance documentation, switch off transponders and reroute frequently. The European Union and the G7 have tightened enforcement measures against the so-called "shadow fleet" in recent months.
The new defence secretary, appointed after John Healey's resignation, said the action showed Britain's resolve in enforcing sanctions on Russian energy exports. The Russian foreign ministry has not yet issued an official statement on the incident. The tanker has been escorted to a UK port and the crew is being interviewed.
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