Footage released by the Ministry of Defence shows Royal Marine Commandos boarding a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel, in what the government has called the first UK-led operation of its kind, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The video shows personnel from 42 Commando, part of the recently renamed UK Commando Force, conducting maritime interdiction operations on the vessel, identified as the SMYRTOS and described as sailing under a false Cameroonian flag. The ship was boarded by the Royal Marines alongside specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency, in an operation the Ministry of Defence said was carried out despite Russia’s best efforts to evade sanctions and continue fuelling its war with Ukraine.
Watch: Royal Marine Commandos board the sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker SMYRTOS in the Channel, in the first UK-led operation of its kind, backed by HMS Sutherland, HMS Ledbury and an RAF P-8. The vessel is now held off the south coast as investigations continue. pic.twitter.com/omTnGlh3gk
— UK Defence Journal (@UKDefJournal) June 14, 2026
The military operation lasted six hours and was supported by aircraft from the Maritime Air Group, including Chinooks, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat helicopters, an RAF P-8 Poseidon, and the warships HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury. The vessel will now be moved provisionally to an anchorage off the south coast of England, where it will be monitored for any environmental or safety concerns.
The false flag the tanker was flying sits at the heart of how the operation was conducted within the law. Vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet routinely fly so-called flags of convenience, registering under the flag of a state with which they have little genuine connection, and where a ship’s claimed nationality cannot be verified it can be treated as stateless under the international law of the sea, opening it to boarding. The Ministry of Defence has pointed to Article 110 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which permits a warship to exercise a right of visit to verify a vessel’s flag where there are reasonable grounds to suspect it is without nationality, after which the United Kingdom can exercise powers under its own legislation.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed in March that British armed forces and law enforcement officers could board shadow fleet vessels in accordance with international law, and the Ministry of Defence said the enforcement action against the SMYRTOS in UK territorial waters was carried out in line with both domestic and international law.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
“This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide. I want to pay tribute to all those involved, including our Armed Forces and law enforcement officers who keep this country safe 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said:
“Operations like this require skill, professionalism and courage. I pay tribute to our Armed Forces personnel and all those involved. Russia relies on its shadow fleet to fund their conflict in Ukraine and our interdiction delivers a blow to Putin’s illegal war.”
The operation was conducted in close coordination with France, building on recent UK support for allied interdictions that has included RAF and Royal Navy capabilities backing US and French operations.
The shadow fleet is the term used for the large number of ageing, often opaquely owned and inadequately insured tankers Russia uses to move its oil in defiance of Western sanctions, with the Ministry of Defence saying the fleet of more than 700 vessels carries around 75 per cent of Russia’s sanctioned oil and generates a war fund that pays for the missiles and drones used against Ukraine. The United Kingdom has sanctioned almost 600 such vessels to date, and the boarding of the SMYRTOS marks the first time British forces have led an interdiction of this kind rather than supporting an ally.
Probably took 6 months for Reeves to sign off on the fuel being used.
Anyway, excellent work by the men and women in uniform.
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Finally! Backing up words with action – should have happened sooner and should definitely not be a one off.
Good job to all involved.
Despite all the conspiracy theories this explains a lot about why it’s only now we are seeing these operations, almost all French and US operations to grab tankers so far have been for stateless vessels.
I suggest the Russian shadow fleet became cocky over the last few months after their initial scare. Previously they were sailing Russian flagged vesells up the channel or foreign flagged vessels the long way around the top of the UK.
However stateless vessels flying false flags are legally easy to grab. Indeed the law of the sea mandates that we are required to board such vessels. This is a very different state of afares from grabbing Russian flagged vessels in the channel which is not something we should be considering doing at this stage.
Might also be because there are now three escorts operating in the Channel regularly. Dauntless is back out, and Sutherland and St Albans are in and out of port.
I don’t doubt it helped, of course we also don’t have a flotilla of Russian submarines doing nefarious things in the North Sea bed as well.
Lets not kid ourselves. This is just a drop in the ocean when it comes to curbing the activities of Russia’s shadow fleet.
Even more so, it’s just a poster effort by the Labour government to attempt to look like action is being taken, probably a distraction from Starmlin’s ineptitude, when in reality the country is crumbling beneath Labour and because of them, just like it always does.
P..R.. In its Crudest form ( Forgive the Pun ) …!
PM Desperately Needed Media Defence Coup to Offset Recent Headlines…!
Doubtless Some in the Media Will be Taken in…
Exactly!
Wow, who knew Kier Starmer could be so inept on Thursday and so cunning by Sunday 😂
I really wish labour had such media powers, who do you think ordered this operation? The PM or perhaps his press secretary?
I really wish Kier had such balls 😀
Quite an operation 3 types of helicopter, 2 sea vessels. If we continue policing then will deter false flagging. Then they have to go all way around British isles. I suggest pick these ships up when empty as well?
The cargo can be worth up to $200 million and we can keep it legally see below
“under international maritime law, a country that impounds a false-flagged or stateless vessel can legally keep or confiscate the cargo. The process depends on international law and the reason for the seizure.”
Keep em coming Vlad, at this rate Rachel and the treasury might see an opening for more navy funding.
The royal navy was born form privacy and plunder under Elizabeth the first, coming full circle now 😀
Like the sentiment. We need the dosh for defence
Take them to the last 4 remaining UK refineries which can process oil types if not suitable refinery products – loads of markets oversease
Tankers – scrap them or after cleaning sink them all opposite the Kallingrad enclave (only joking)
Have to hit a load of tankers quickly before Vlad has to direct tankers through Faeroes gap (or Denmark strait)
However what I want to happen in the Channel and what will happen is …………………………………
Simon, I wonder how quickly we will run out of assets to do this repeatedly.
Why would we run out of assets?
Once you grab the ship all the assets don’t sit around guarding it. They are all available to be used again.
As long as you have spare parts.
Hi Graham.
7 Squadron RAF ( Chinooks ) has elements on standby at Odiham to support MCT, part of JSFAW.
Elements of 42 Commando remains available to provide boarding ( J Company )
In the CHF, 846 NAS ( Merlin HC4 ) has a MCT Flight based at Yeovilton.
In the Wildcat Maritime Force ( Lynx Wildcat HMA2 ) 825 NAS has a MCT / MI Flight, also at Yeovilton.
The SBS have a Sqn on standby at Poole, along with their specialised boat units ( SMG ? )
Seemingly not used here, I believe 4 AAC also have Apache elements available for MCT and, or, UK CT tasking.
I don’t see us running out of assets as I understand these elements remain UK based for this tasking. I guess if we were intercepting several tankers at once the issue might arise?
If we were intercepting multiple tankers at once we might also run the real risk of running out of space to put them. Invariably once you grad them there is a fairly protracted legal process. You then a have to off load them. Often refineries can’t handle sanctioned oil even when your own government tells you too. The UK doesn’t even have refineries that can work with the low quality Russian ural blend so you need another country like Italy or India to process it.
The US got stuck with some Iranian tankers for a couple of years trying get the oil off in Texas a few years ago. Most of these ships are knackered as well so they are almost impossible to sell in to anyone but the shadows fleets.
Only so many places along the south coast you can keel these big vessels to.
Interesting, Jim, Oil Fuel and refineries is something I know zilch about, apart from our own MoD OFDs.
Saw something on X about Russia already reacting and altering routes so I doubt our south coast will become a tanker jam.
Just 4 Refineries in the Whole of Britain Now…!
There were 4 in Milford Haven Alone At one time plus The Serving of Another by Pipeline in Swansea…! Now Just one left…!
So much for National Security
They’ve put Smyrtos in Weymouth Bay, which has room for a good few. There’s also St Helens Roads if we run out there, but that is a busy working anchorage. After that they could raft up in Portland Harbour?
These tankers are Generaly Not in A1 condition..Do we Want them Sitting Around Our Coast for any length of Time…?
Hi Graham, plus Poseidon flying top cover. Maybe proof of concept and useful for media to see a big show. Hopefully we continue to intercept shadow fleet and prove we can do it efficiently with minimal fuss.
Suspiciously good timing.
Nothing Suspicious About it ..?.
Just Because the PM has Totally Discredited DIP..
Two Senior Defence Ministers Have Gone..
And A very Big N.A.T.O Summit in France were we Suspect Some Serious Questions Will be Asked on Britain’s Spending and Other Commitments ..?
Very Sure there’s Nothing Suspicious About it…!
Oh really! This wasn’t sanctioned for political purposes? This was to make the PM look big nothing more, now watch the debacle over what to do with this tanker and its load before it becomes a tourist attraction in Dorset.
I was just being Sarcastic: Mark !
Sorry about that, I was responding to a wider audience.
Totally agree. Why was the camera man filming the troops from the bottom of the stairs!! And filming them entering a cabin after the camera man has passed the door! Staged. And I mean no disrespect to any service personnel! Was expecting Jason stathum to come into view!!
Nothing like the Iranian embassy footage all those years back!!
Anyone know about the C2 of the ‘Commando Force’? Is it the old HQ 3 Cdo Bde which has merely been renamed? Are ‘the Royals’ set up to operate as a Brigade ever again?
Got to say I wouldn’t fancy Fast Roping in that wind. The downdraft from a Chinook is bad enough!
It’s not that bad it’s a downdraft not side draft.
Not currently mate.
HQ 3 Commando Brigade is now Headquarters UK Commando Force, it falls, I believe, under Commander UK Strike Force at Excellent, part of the Maritime Battle Staff.
It is supported by 30 Commando IXG RM, which can be described as a sort of HQ Regiment, giving the life support, intelligence, signals, logistics, and specialised Recc capability to the force commander, who remains a 1 Star.
UKCF still has, AFAIK.
30 Cdo & HQ
40 Cdo, 45 Cdo.
43 Cdo ( split from the rest with separate role )
47 Cdo ( RG )
Commando Logistic Regiment
24 RE and 29 RA.
Still quite a few supporting elements, but it is not set up to deploy as a complete Brigade, it has lost 42 Commando to Maritime Ops role.
The two remaining “green” Commando’s, 40 and 45, were split between LRG (S) and LRG (N) each to provide a Company at high readiness for Grey Zone roles, but with the demise of most of the amphibious shipping I don’t know if the LRG still exist.
Each, I think, can form a Commando Group with elements of the enablers attached, and the CHF.
Also, in an apparent reversal, the 1SL was talking of the Commando’s returning to the northern flank, now minus 42 Commando. Camp Viking has been established to preposition equipment and to work as a permanent FOB.
Thanks for sharing Daniele, that’s a much better summation of the Commando Force that I have seen before.
Pleasure mate. Assuming it’s accurate.
👍
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How utterly weak.
Starmer’s govt only captured an unarmed vessel with a crew of harmless Indian’s or Filipino’s to try and deflect criticism of Labour’s total failure to defend the nation.
Where was this resolution a couple weeks ago when 2 sanctioned tankers sailed thru the Channel, escorted by Admiral Grigorovich frigate?
I think it is a certainty that within a couple of months or even weeks. Putin will sail 3 or 4 tankers right down the middle of the English Channel, escorted by a Russian frigate.
And Starmer will hide in his bunker and keep with what bit of our Navy is left to do nothing.
PM Very Much in Self Preservation Mode I Syspect..!
PM Very Much in Self Preservation Mode I Syspect..!
What.! Not an armed Battalion of Russian Guards Onboard…?
Biggest question for me.
The footage raises questions, as Dern has pointed out and which some military sites on SM are also highlighting.
Why include footage that is not the actual event? Or if it is, was filmed after?
Why film at all? Unless for some publicity stunt?
And who says it was actually filmed on board?
Could it have been filmed elsewhere, like a training film in Corsham tunnels TA or some other FIBUA complex then provided as an example of the real boarding?
If true, I expect this stuff from China, Russia, North Korea, not the UK?
I feel a FOIA coming on.