A tanker from the Russian shadow fleet recently navigated through the English Channel following the interception of the Smyrtos by UK forces. The vessel, identified as the Russian-flagged Forwarder, departed from Primorsk, Russia’s primary Baltic Sea port, with a cargo of oil last week and has been in the Channel since Wednesday, as reported by the BBC using satellite imagery.
The Royal Navy’s patrol vessel HMS Tyne has been observed operating in close proximity to the Forwarder’s current position based on ship-tracking data. Despite being sanctioned by the UK, the US, and the EU in 2025, the Russian tanker is indicating its intended destination as the Dongying port in China.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Russia’s shadow fleet, which comprises over 700 vessels, plays a crucial role in Moscow’s oil transportation and funding operations, particularly in relation to the conflict in Ukraine. This marks the first instance of a UK-sanctioned shadow fleet vessel traversing the English Channel since the interception of the Smyrtos by Royal Marines and National Crime Agency officers on Sunday.
Following the successful detention of the Smyrtos, tracking data revealed a shift in course for several sanctioned ships to avoid the Channel. The MoD spokesperson declined to provide detailed operational information to maintain the effectiveness of future actions against such vessels.
In legal developments related to the Smyrtos incident, the ship’s captain, Ajay Pant, a 38-year-old Indian national, appeared in court on charges of breaching sanctions by transporting prohibited oil from Russia to a third country. Pant participated in a preliminary hearing at Southampton Magistrates’ Court, where he did not enter a plea, and the case was referred to Bournemouth Crown Court for further proceedings scheduled for July 16.
The Smyrtos remains anchored off Weymouth in Dorset, prohibited from leaving the UK, with its crew members from Georgia and India still on board.