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Navy authorised to board and seize Russian ‘shadow fleet’ ships in UK waters


Navy authorised to board and seize Russian ‘shadow fleet’ ships in UK waters
People look out at an oil tanker formerly known as the Bella-1, before it changed its name to the Marinera, from Hopeman Harbour, at sea in the Moray Firth, northern Scotland (Picture: AFP via Getty)

The Royal Navy will start seizing Russia’s shadow fleet vessels when they slip through UK waters, the prime minister has announced.

Sir Keir Starmer said the UK would join northern European allies in intercepting the tankers as part of a drive to ‘go after’ the sanction-breaking ships fuelling Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.

He said: ‘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.’

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Moscow’s shadow fleet is reported to be made up of more than a thousand ageing tankers.

They illicitly ship oil and other goods out of Russia by flying the flags of other countries, with the aim of evading sanctions imposed by the West since the conflict began.

Undated handout photo issued by the Ministry of Defence of Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Tyne following the sanctioned Russian Ropucha-class warship, Aleksandr Shabalin, and cargo vessel MV Sabetta as they sailed westward through the English Channel. Issue date: Thursday March 5, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: MoD/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Tyne following the sanctioned Russian Ropucha-class warship, Aleksandr Shabalin, and cargo vessel MV Sabetta (Picture: MoD/PA Wire)
Pictured: Royal Marines from 42 Commando fast-rope from a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Sqn onto the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales while maritime snipers provide overwatch from an 845 Sqn Merlin Mk4 during Operation Highmast, June 11th 2025. The Carrier Strike Group is the Royal Navy's key deployment of 2025. Led by UK flagship HMS Prince of Wales and involving a dozen nations, the eight-month mission - known as Operation Highmast - will take the task group to the western Pacific Rim via the Mediterranean and Middle East with a series of large-scale exercises with Britain's allies and partners. The goal is to reaffirm the UK?s commitment to the security of the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific region, demonstrate collective resolve with our allies and showcase British trade and industry. Over the course of the deployment, upwards of 4,500 British military personnel will be involved, including nearly 600 RAF and 900 soldiers alongside 2,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines.
Royal Marines from 42 Commando fast-rope from a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Sqn onto the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales (Picture: UK MOD Crown copyright)
epa12848570 Russian President Vladimir Putin reacts during his meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 25 March 2026. Pham Minh Chinh is on a three-days official visit to Russia. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV
The prime minister said the move was intended to starve Putin’s war machine ‘of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine’ (Picture: EPA)

The Prime Minister has given approval for the UK to start seizing shadow fleet vessels as he travels to Helsinki, Finland, for a summit with national leaders from the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).

The JEF, a military coalition of 10 northern European countries led by the UK, aims to defend against Russian incursions.

It also includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

British forces have already been involved in tracking shadow fleet vessels for several years and have supported operations by other countries to seize the ships.

In January, the UK assisted in the seizure of the oil tanker Marinera by the US.

Previously known as the Bella-1, the Russian-flagged vessel was captured by American forces aided by RAF aircraft and the British supply ship RFA Tideforce in the Atlantic.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 25: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street ahead of the Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons during the weekly parliamentary session in London, United Kingdom, on March 25, 2026. (Photo by Zeynep Demir/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Sir Keir Starmer said the UK would join northern European allies in intercepting the tankers as part of a drive to ‘go after’ the sanction-breaking ships (Picture: Anadolu via Getty)

Later that same month, Royal Navy patrol boat HMS Dagger helped the French seize another sanctioned ship, the Grinch, in the western Mediterranean, shadowing the vessel through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Last week, the French intercepted the Deyna oil tanker in the Mediterranean, supported by the UK.

Libyan authorities have meanwhile towed a suspected shadow fleet oil tanker found drifting in the Mediterranean which was believed to have been hit in a drone strike.

The tanker, carrying liquefied natural gas, was towed to avoid a spill in the Mediterranean.

At the JEF summit, the Prime Minister and other leaders are expected to discuss shared security in the so-called High North and the war in Ukraine.

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