The UK’s special forces are preparing to seize Russian-linked oil tankers in British waters, as part of an escalating effort to choke off funding for Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
Under new powers signed off by Sir Keir Starmer, British military personnel will now have permission to board and detain sanctioned vessels transiting UK waters, including in the Channel.
The announcement comes over two months after the Government promised “assertive action” against the shadow fleet. In that time, hundreds of suspect vessels have continued to pass freely through and around British waters, while European allies have boarded and seized ships.
Since the Government was understood to have been given a legal basis to board shadow fleet ships, 227 vessels sanctioned by the UK have passed through the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) – 59 of which have been Russian-flagged, according to data provided by Starboard Maritime Intelligence.
How the raids would work
Officials say the UK has spent months refining rapid interdiction tactics alongside the Royal Navy and specialist units. The operations are designed to be swift, decisive and legally watertight.
In practice, a suspect tanker entering UK waters would already be under surveillance and tracked via satellites, maritime patrol aircraft and maritime intelligence. One plan to do this, as previously revealed by The i Paper, is to develop a Shadow Fleet Command Centre in the Northeast of the UK.
Once authorised, a boarding team of Royal Marine or Special Forces units could be deployed by helicopter or fast boat to secure the vessel. Military sources have previously indicated that such operations could be completed in under 10 minutes from insertion to control of the bridge, minimising the risk of resistance or environmental catastrophe.
British military units have been preparing for a range of scenarios, including non-compliant vessels with armed crews. Each operation would need to be signed off by ministers following legal and market considerations to account for any unintended disruption to global energy supplies.
The model draws on recent allied actions in the Baltic and Mediterranean, as well as a US-led seizure of the Bella-1 in January.
The move builds on long-running UK efforts to track and constrain Russia’s shadow fleet – a network of rusting tankers operating under opaque ownership structures to trade Russian oil across the globe illicitly.
These vessels carry an estimated three-quarters of Russian crude exports. Experts argue that without them, the Kremlin would struggle to sustain oil revenues that underpin its war effort.
By closing off UK waters, ministers hope to deter vessels into longer, more expensive routes or risk seizure.
Boarding operations are typically carried out by highly trained but relatively small teams, often drawn from specialist military units.
The Special Boat Service is a unique group of highly trained specialists who have previously carried out such seizures. Personnel form part of the Maritime Counter-Terrorism (MCT) unit within the Special Forces based out of Poole, Dorset. To deal with the entire shadow fleet, they would need a fleet of helicopters, other personnel and Navy ships each time.
The seizure of the Bella 1 involved specialised Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, gunships and surveillance planes, as well as a Royal Navy tanker.
Sending a message to Putin
A former UK Special Forces officer who carried out vessel boardings and did not wish to be named said the Government’s announcement itself will have a “displacement effect”.
They told The i Paper: “If you really wanted to board a vessel, you would keep it a secret until you did the first one. But if you wanted to deter ships from transiting through UK waters, you would announce it. That way, you achieve the aim without having to have the nausea of doing so.”
The UK Government’s plans will rely on coordination with allies, particularly within the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) – a Northern European multi-national military partnership – allowing countries like Finland, Sweden and Estonia to intercept ships in their own waters.
The UK has already sanctioned more than 500 vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet. By adding the threat of direct seizure, ministers hope to deter operators further and squeeze the Kremlin’s revenues.
The Prime Minister said: “We are living in an increasingly volatile and dangerous world, facing threats from different fronts across the world every day.
“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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