UK forces boarded and seized the sanctioned tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel in a six-hour operation that used helicopters, a maritime patrol aircraft and Royal Navy escort ships. Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency officers boarded from air, with Chinook, Merlin Mk 4 and Wildcat helicopters, a RAF P-8 Poseidon, and HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury supporting the interdiction.
The vessel was described as part of Russia’s shadow fleet and sailing under a false Cameroonian flag. An Indian national was arrested on suspicion of sanctions offences under the Russia Regulations, while the ship was ordered to an anchorage off the south coast of England for monitoring.
The seizure sets a direct UK enforcement precedent against sanctioned tanker traffic.