UK forces will be able to board and detain sanctioned vessels transiting British waters under new measures aimed at disrupting Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, the government stated.
The decision allows Royal Navy personnel and law enforcement officers to interdict ships that have been sanctioned by the UK, including those moving through key routes such as the English Channel. It follows recent activity in which UK assets have supported allies in tracking vessels linked to the network in European and Mediterranean waters.
The policy forms part of a wider effort with Joint Expeditionary Force partners, several of whom have already taken action against suspected vessels in the Baltic. By expanding interdiction to UK waters, ministers are seeking to restrict access to major maritime routes and increase operational pressure on operators linked to the fleet.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “We are living in an increasingly volatile and dangerous world, facing threats from different fronts across the world every day. As Prime Minister, my first duty is to keep this country safe and protect British interests here and abroad. Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets. That’s why we’re going after his shadow fleet even harder, not just keeping Britain safe but starving Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine. He and his cronies should be in no doubt, we will always defend our sovereignty and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Operational planning has included preparations for boarding non-compliant or potentially hostile vessels, with military and law enforcement teams exercising against a range of scenarios in recent weeks. Each potential interdiction will be assessed on a case-by-case basis before ministers authorise action, with the possibility of criminal proceedings against those found in breach of UK sanctions.
Alongside allies, the UK has already sanctioned hundreds of vessels linked to the network, with further coordination expected as partners seek to tighten enforcement measures across northern European waters.
We should have been doing this a long time ago also after the ship has been escorted to a UK port its cargo should be off loaded and along with the ship sold in the open market and the proceeds helping to fund the Ukrainian war effort.
And given that we shadow Russian ship movements through the Channel using OPVs in their last years of service, doesn’t someone think we should have a policy as to what to do when they are gone? Besides the genius idea of using new frigates to do presence work abroad and bringing the River B2s back to the UK, getting us £50m worth of effect for each £400m worth of new ship.
To be far the B2s should not be doing half the work they have been doing in the world we live in.. a B2 as it’s presently configured is an extended EEZ patrol vessel.. they were never meant to be plodding around the indo pacific/gulf and pacific.. that’s the job of a GP frigate.. so we we’ll only be rebalancing back to what it should be..
And yet, a Russian shadow tanker sailed through the Channel the other day, and we did nothing.
Maybe because it was escorted by a Russian warship.
The UK has no ability or will to actually confront the Russians on the high seas unless the Americans are willing to support such action. The UK knows this, the Americans know this and the Russians know this. The UK (and other European states) may seize this or that “shadow fleet” tanker, but only if the Russians choose not to protect it or otherwise don’t have the capacity. I am afraid this is typical political posturing as cover for a massive decline in real capability.
I still rub my eyes in disbelief at the utter garbage that Kier Starmer speaks.
Did he actually say all that?!
Your actions regards Defence are the absolute opposite, PM.
Lets see….
“Threats from across the world, every day…”
Yet you go on about NATO first and are withdrawing what conventional forces we have left back to Europe with less attention elsewhere. Contradiction.
“My first duty is to keep rhis country safe….”
Nonsense, your first duty is to your lawyer mates and the ideology of your party backbenchers, as you backdoor and U turn whenever they get their hackles up.
How many of those Afghans did you vet before they arrived here after relocation? How many economic migrants have arrived illegally and then have killed or assaulted people? Safe?
Are those examples of that?
Are you keeping the country safe, or safeguarding your vote base?
Are you keeping the armed forces safe constantly keeping them overstretched aa you relentlessly cut their assets?
“We’re going after his shadow fleet even harder.”
Where? Give one example where HM forces have stopped and boarded?
The rest of that statement is flannel and stating the bleeding obvious.
The John Healy interview on Radio4 this morning was a fucking car crash. He can’t speak, he can’t talk about anything but rhetoric and when pressed about why it’s taken a month from the Lawyers giving the go ahead… I know why, it’s because the Army weren’t training beforehand, in case the Lawyers said it was illegal, so they only started training after the Legal team said yes. So what are the army doing, waiting for the Lawyers and Public inquiry to shoot the enemy if they attacked them?
I’ve mentioned it on the other thread about the German Frigate as flagship.
17 escorts, you say….? 🤔
A clueless car crash and a fine snapshot of where we are.
Ireland is introducing the same legislation in lock step with the UK on this currently.
There are some questions here
1) is it going to be universal as in all shadow fleet vessels..
2) what are we doing with all these rooting hulls when they get tied up in legal tangles of ownership and finally how do we dispose of the hulls without costing the taxpayer big money
3) who own the oil.. all the legal issues around that
4) what do we do if it has an escort.. escalate of de escalate..
Just questions
The question of oil ownership is an interesting one. Oil onboard a tanker can change ownership several times. That will certainly keep the lawyers busy!
I’m a bit confused here. Do we need a ship in the water to board a tanker in the English Channel? Surely, the helicopters can fly from England, cant they? What’s the Russian escort going to do, shoot them down?? No way, that would be a direct attack on a NATO country, and they immediately lose access to the Baltic Sea etc…
We don’t have much left in the locker regards shipping to interdict vessels but what we do have is an SBS ready team along with 42Cdo so all that is needed is 2 Merlin’s on stand-by to transport the boarding team the take control of the vessel that has strayed into the UK water. Then bring the vessel into a UK port off load the cargo and sell it in the open market with the costs of the operation comming out of the sale the rest going to Ukraine, if the vessel is in rag order then sell it for scrap job done zero cost to the UK. All that is needed is for some one in parliment to grow a set and give it the green light.
There`s been reports that some of these ships are
being given a naval escort.
What then? WW3?