British forces boarded and detained the sanctioned tanker SMYRTOS in the English Channel on 14 June 2026 in the first UK-led operation of its kind against shadow-fleet shipping, according to the UK government.
Royal Marine Commandos and specially trained National Crime Agency officers carried out the six-hour boarding, supported by Chinook, Merlin Mk4 and Wildcat helicopters, an RAF P-8 aircraft, HMS SUTHERLAND and HMS LEDBURY.
The operation was coordinated with France. The tanker is to be moved to an anchorage off the south coast of England and monitored while investigations continue. The enforcement action took place in international waters under domestic and international law.
SMYRTOS, IMO 9389100, is listed by the UK as a sanctioned vessel involved in the transportation of Russian oil. The tanker was added to the UK sanctions list on 15 October 2025. The UK government puts the shadow fleet at more than 700 vessels and says it carries 75% of Russia’s sanctioned oil.
SMYRTOS was identified in the supplied material as an Aframax tanker that loaded 101,400 tonnes of Urals crude at Russia’s Ust-Luga terminal on 4 June and was bound for Sikka, India. The material also contains a flag-status discrepancy: some vessel-tracking and database entries show Cameroon, while another identification gives the tanker as unflagged after removal from Cameroon’s registry.
SMYRTOS is a 2009-built crude oil tanker with IMO number 9389100, MMSI 613411302, gross tonnage of 58,667 and deadweight of 106,969 tonnes. The supplied vessel data lists Zhao Yao Shipping Ltd of Hong Kong as owner and commercial manager, former flags as Greece, Malta, Panama and Gambia, and ANAND Madhukar, an Indian citizen, as master.