Royal Marines board sanctioned tanker Smyrtos in first UK-led interception

Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency officers boarded the sanctioned tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel on 14 June, in what the UK government called its first interdiction of a Russian shadow fleet vessel. The government said the six-hour operation, coordinated with France, involved helicopters, an RAF P-8, HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury, and was carried out under UNCLOS Article 110 provisions on stateless ships. Reuters, via gCaptain, reported the tanker was flying a Cameroonian flag. The ship was anchored off England's south coast pending investigation. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the operation showed those fuelling the war in Ukraine "cannot hide".

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