The government of Great Britain defended the seizure of a Russian oil tanker from the ‘shadow fleet’ in the English Channel after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to ‘respond in kind.’
The tanker The Smyrtos is anchored near Weymouth after Royal Marines commandos intercepted the vessel and boarded it in June. This was the first such operation aimed at stopping the activities of a sanctioned tanker. The ship’s captain, Ajay Pant, was charged with violating sanctions against Russia. He is suspected of directly or indirectly supplying or transporting banned Russian oil.
Putin condemns the seizure of ships
While observing Russian fleet exercises in the Pacific Ocean, Vladimir Putin criticized Western countries for ‘seizing our ships,’ calling such actions ‘nothing other than piracy and banditry.’
Western countries claim that Russia uses a ‘shadow fleet’ of hundreds of vessels to circumvent international sanctions imposed on its oil exports. Operators of these vessels are accused of using complex ownership structures and various tactics to conceal the origin of cargoes and mask their connection to Russia. The Ministry of Defense of Great Britain (MoD) states that Russia has a fleet of over 700 vessels transporting 75% of sanctioned Russian oil. According to the British department, this oil is a ‘vital source for the Kremlin’ to ‘support Russia’s illegal war’ in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Putin warned Western countries not to seize more such tankers, stating: ‘If these plans are implemented, we will have to respond in kind. And not necessarily in the waters where raids on our ships and vessels are planned, but where we consider it necessary and appropriate, anywhere.’ Viktor Liina, commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet, accused Western countries, particularly Britain and France, of using their own ‘shadow fleets.’ ‘We have the capabilities to inspect and detain vessels of unfriendly states and their shadow fleets, and interdepartmental cooperation is established and ready to respond to these challenges,’ said Liina.
Britain’s response
In response to Putin’s threats, the government of Great Britain stated that British armed forces and law enforcement boarded The Smyrtos ‘in full compliance with international law.’
‘Great Britain is disrupting and deterring the activities of shadow fleet vessels and their harmful maritime activities that fuel Russia’s war against Ukraine,’ said a government representative. He added that, unlike Russia’s shadow fleet, ‘the armed forces and commercial vessels of Great Britain operate strictly in accordance with international maritime law.’
Source: BBC World
