UK Seizes Banned Oil Tanker Linked to Russia's Shadow Fleet

Kathmandu. The debate over security and sanctions enforcement in European waterways has reignited after Britain seized a banned oil tanker linked to the 'shadow fleet'. According to the British Ministry of Defence, this operation is one of the latest stringent steps taken to enforce sanctions imposed on Russia after the Ukraine war.

According to the ministry, a joint operation lasting approximately 6 hours was conducted on Sunday. Naval ships and aircraft, including Chinook helicopters and the frigate HMS Southampton, participated in the operation. During this, Royal Marine commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency boarded and seized the vessel named SMYRTOS.

British officials have called this operation the 'first coordinated move against Russia's shadow fleet in the context of the ongoing war with Ukraine'. The seized vessel is currently being kept under surveillance in a roadstead near England's south coast.

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis claimed that this move would directly impact Russia's financial resources and weaken its economy in the war against Ukraine. He stated that this operation was completed in close coordination with France and aims to strengthen European security.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer also supported this operation, stating that it sent a further message to Russia and a clear warning to those involved in sanction-violating activities.

The 'shadow fleet', which Russia has been using to evade Western sanctions, includes hundreds of old and ambiguously owned oil tankers, which countries including Britain have already placed on the sanctions list. Such vessels are prohibited from accessing British ports and services.

Britain has been tightening controls and sanctions on such vessels since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In March, the government announced that it had given the military the authority to board and seize such vessels in British waters.

This move comes amid growing concerns about oil supply and price stability in the international market. Earlier, European countries including France, Belgium, and Finland have also seized vessels violating similar sanctions.

The British Ministry of Defence claimed that this action against the shadow fleet would directly impact Russia's war financing structure and indicated that such operations would continue in the future.