The Royal Marines boarded the Russian tanker MT Smyrtos off the coast of Weymouth in the English Channel, seizing the vessel that is part of a shadow fleet of ships suspected of transporting sanctioned Russian oil.
The captured vessel’s captain, Ajay Pant, faces charges for breaching Russia’s sanctions regime by directly or indirectly supplying prohibited oil.
In response, President Vladimir Putin warned that any effort to seize or target similar vessels would be met with retaliation, stating that the Kremlin could act “anywhere” if Western powers press the issue.
Britain defended the boarding, insisting it was carried out in full compliance with international law and aimed at disrupting the shadow fleet that fuels Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The EU and several European countries have intensified sanctions on the shadow fleet, banning more than 600 vessels from their ports and seizing or detaining ships suspected of violating the embargo.
Today, the MT Smyrtos remains under detainment by the Department of Transport near Weymouth, where it is monitored while the UK and its allies continue to enforce maritime sanctions against Russia.
