U.K.’s Starmer approves British forces seizing Russian ‘shadow fleet’ of illegal oil tankers

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given military forces the green light to board Russia’s “shadow fleet” of sanctioned commercial vessels if they pass through U.K. waters.

He announced the policy on Thursday at the Joint Expeditionary Force Summit in Helsinki.

The JEF is a U.K.-led political and military partnership meant to strengthen the European community within the greater NATO framework. Several members of the group, including Finland, Sweden, and Estonia, have already carried out operations against suspected shadow fleet vessels operating in the Baltic, British officials said.

At least 75% of Russia’s crude oil is transported by Moscow’s decrepit and aging fleet of ships. The U.K. and its allies have imposed sanctions on at least 544 Russian shadow fleet vessels.

“The move is the latest blow to Russia’s shadow fleet, which is fueling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s barbaric war in Ukraine,” British officials said.

As an island nation built on maritime trade, the U.K. depends on the Arctic and High North for its prosperity. The region is the only place where Russia, through its formidable Northern Fleet, can directly threaten the lifelines that sustain and protect British residents: food, energy, undersea data cables, and the sea lines of communication that connect the U.S. to Europe, officials said.

The British military has been tracking the Russian shadow fleet for several years. Following the U.S. seizure of the sanctioned oil tanker Bella-1 in January, U.K. government officials ordered the development of plans and options to carry out similar operations against other Russian shadow fleet vessels.

“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets,” Mr. Starmer said after announcing the policy. “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.”

British forces have been put through their paces in preparation for any suspected shadow fleet vessels in U.K. waters. They’ve gone through training scenarios in recent weeks, including boarding vessels that don’t surrender or are armed.

“Each target ship will be individually considered by law enforcement, military, and energy market specialists before a recommendation is made to ministers and an operation is executed,” British officials said. “Following the detention of a ship, criminal proceedings may be brought against the owners, operators, and crew for breaches of U.K. sanctions legislation.”