{"id":81252,"date":"2026-06-14T03:15:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T07:15:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/british-forces-board-russian-shadow-fleet-tanker-in-english-channel\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T03:15:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T07:15:56","slug":"british-forces-board-russian-shadow-fleet-tanker-in-english-channel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/british-forces-board-russian-shadow-fleet-tanker-in-english-channel\/","title":{"rendered":"British Forces Board Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker in English Channel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

British armed forces stopped a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker from passing through the English Channel on Sunday, June 14, in an operation personally ordered by the country’s prime minister.<\/p>

The tanker, identified as the SMYRTOS, was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos working alongside specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency, according to a statement released by Britain’s Ministry of Defence.<\/p>

The vessel is being held and monitored off the southern coast of Britain while an investigation moves forward. Officials noted that the enforcement action took place within British territorial waters and was carried out in full compliance with both domestic and international law.<\/p>

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that he gave the order for the interception to take place.<\/p>

“This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide,” Starmer wrote in a post on X.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

British armed forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker attempting to cross the English Channel on Sunday. Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency officers boarded the vessel, named SMYRTOS, which will be held off Britain’s south coast while investigations continue. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he personally directed the operation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":81251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781421356189.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-l8w","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":81272,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/britain-seizes-tanker-suspected-of-hauling-oil-for-russias-shadow-fleet\/","url_meta":{"origin":81252,"position":0},"title":"Britain Seizes Tanker Suspected of Hauling Oil for Russia’s Shadow Fleet","author":"Admin","date":"June 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"British armed forces have boarded and detained a sanctioned oil tanker in the English Channel, suspected of helping Russia dodge international sanctions tied to its war in Ukraine. The vessel, named the Smyrtos, will be held off England's southern coast while authorities conduct an investigation. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781425854977.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781425854977.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781425854977.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781425854977.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40022,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/french-navy-seizes-russian-oil-tanker-suspected-of-evading-war-sanctions\/","url_meta":{"origin":81252,"position":1},"title":"French Navy Seizes Russian Oil Tanker Suspected of Evading War Sanctions","author":"Admin","date":"March 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"French naval forces intercepted and boarded an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet used to circumvent Ukraine war sanctions. The vessel, flying a Mozambican flag but coming from a Russian port, was found to have questionable documentation and has been referred to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774013833541.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774013833541.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774013833541.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774013833541.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":81294,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ukrainian-drones-kill-1-strike-russian-oil-facility-in-escalating-campaign\/","url_meta":{"origin":81252,"position":2},"title":"Ukrainian Drones Kill 1, Strike Russian Oil Facility in Escalating Campaign","author":"Admin","date":"June 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded nine others in Russia's Oryol region overnight, while a separate attack set fuel storage facilities ablaze in the Yaroslavl region. The strikes are part of Ukraine's ongoing campaign targeting Russian military and energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, British forces boarded a sanctioned oil\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781433058458.jpg?fit=1000%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781433058458.jpg?fit=1000%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781433058458.jpg?fit=1000%2C638&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781433058458.jpg?fit=1000%2C638&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29709,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/belgian-forces-intercept-russian-oil-tanker-at-sea\/","url_meta":{"origin":81252,"position":3},"title":"Belgian Forces Intercept Russian Oil Tanker at Sea","author":"Admin","date":"March 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Belgian military forces, working alongside French defense units, have captured an oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet operations. 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