British military will be able to board shadow fleet vessels
transiting UK waters as the UK steps up its pressure on Putin.
The Prime Minister has agreed that the UK Armed Forces and
law enforcement officers will now be able to interdict
vessels that have been sanctioned by the UK and are transiting
through UK waters.
It follows the Royal Navy supporting allies with the monitoring
and tracking of several shadow fleet ships to
enable interdiction in European and Mediterranean waters in
recent weeks.
The move is the latest blow to Russia's shadow fleet,
which is fuelling Putin's barbaric war in Ukraine, and comes as
the Prime Minister arrives at the Joint Expeditionary Force
Summit in Helsinki today [THURS] to discuss security in the
region and how partners can combat an increasingly aggressive
Russia.
A number of JEF allies, including Finland, Sweden and Estonia,
have carried out recent operations against suspected
illegal shadow fleet vessels in the Baltic,
closing off critical maritime routes to Russia's malign
operation.
By joining JEF partners in
interdicting shadow fleet vessels,
the UK will put a further stranglehold on
the shadow fleet, closing off UK waters,
including the Channel, for sanctioned vessels.
This will in turn force operators to either divert to
longer, financially painful routes, or risk being detained by
British forces.
Prime Minister
said:
“We are living in an increasingly volatile and dangerous world,
facing threats from different fronts across the world every
day.
“As Prime Minister, my first duty is to keep this country safe
and protect British interests here and abroad.
“Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because
he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets. 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.
“He and his cronies should be in no doubt, we will always defend
our sovereignty and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
As an island nation built on maritime trade, the Arctic and High
North is vital to the UK's prosperity and British livelihoods.
The region is the only place where Russia, through its formidable
Northern Fleet, can directly threaten the lifelines that
sustain and protect us: food, energy, undersea data cables, and
the sea lines of communication that connect the US to Europe.
UK military have been tracking
the shadow fleet for a number of years and
following the successful US operation to seize tanker Bella 1,
which UK assets supported, Ministers ordered the development of
plans and options to carry out similar operations against further
Russian shadow fleet ships.
Military and law enforcement specialists have been put through
their paces in preparation for a number of scenarios in recent
weeks, including boarding vessels that don't surrender, are
armed, or use high tech pervasive surveillance to evade capture.
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.
Following the detention of a ship, criminal proceedings may be
brought against the against the owners, operators and crew,
for breaches of UK sanctions legislation.
Around 75% of Russia's crude oil is transported by Putin's
decrepit fleet and aging fleet of ships.
Alongside allies, the UK has imposed sanctions on 544
Russian shadow fleet vessels.
The UK is calling for further coordination on
seizing shadow fleet vessels between JEF Allies,
further underlining our commitment to the region and deterring
hostile activity by Russia.
