First Russian 'shadow fleet' vessel enters Channel since Smyrtos boarding

A Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker has entered the English Channel for the first time since UK forces boarded the Smyrtos early on Sunday morning, ship‑tracking data reviewed by BBC Verify shows.

Forwarder, a Russian‑flagged ship that left port in Primorsk last week, entered the Channel on Wednesday evening and sailed south. It is broadcasting its final destination as Dongying port in China.

UK‑sanctioned shadow fleet vessels have avoided the Channel since British troops intercepted the Smyrtos, with tracking data showing a number of sanctioned ships altering course to avoid the waterway in the aftermath of the operation.

BBC Verify has approached the Ministry of Defence for comment.

Ship‑tracking data appears to show a Royal Navy warship, HMS Tyne, operating in the area near the tanker's location.

Forwarder was sanctioned by the UK, the US and the EU in 2025. Since the British government accused it of smuggling oil from Russia, the vessel has changed its name twice.

Satellite imagery showed Forwarder left Primorsk on 12 June after loading oil. The refinery is the largest in the Baltic Sea and is a critical export hub for Russia's energy industry.

Shadow fleet tankers such as Forwarder have provided a critical lifeline for the Kremlin since the West imposed sanctions on its energy exports in the wake of the full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The clandestine fleet of more than 700 ageing tankers, usually of obscured ownership, is responsible for carrying 75% of Russia's sanctioned oil, according to the MoD.

The Smyrtos was boarded and seized by Royal Marines and officers from the National Crime Agency as it was sailing without a registered flag in breach of international law, and its captain has now been charged with contravening sanctions.

Mark Douglas, an analyst with Starboard Maritime Intelligence, notes that the circumstances surrounding the Smyrtos provide a clearer legal basis for the UK to board the vessel, unlike Forwarder which is flagged by Russia and shows no sign of a false flag.

Since the boarding of the Smyrtos, ship‑tracking data showed multiple sanctioned tankers altering their course to avoid the English Channel and many are now taking an alternate route around the west coast of Ireland.

In May, BBC Verify established that almost 200 shadow fleet vessels had passed through the English Channel in the months since Sir Keir Starmer announced that British forces would begin to intercept some sanctioned tankers. In at least 94 instances, shadow fleet ships briefly crossed into UK territorial waters, a smaller zone that extends up to 12 nautical miles from the coast.