UK Royal Marines seize Russian shadow-fleet oil tanker Smyrtos in English Channel

British Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency officials boarded and seized the oil tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel on June 14, 2026, in a six-hour operation supported by Chinook helicopters, a frigate, and a minehunter. The vessel, sailing under a Cameroonian flag, had departed the Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga on June 5 and was bound for Egypt — part of Russia's fleet of hundreds of ships used to evade international sanctions tied to its war in Ukraine. Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis stated that Russia's oil and gas revenues declined by 24 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year, attributing this partly to the UK's sanctions on over 500 shadow-fleet vessels.