First Russian shadow fleet tanker 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 on Sunday morning, ship tracking data 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 China's Dongying port.

The shadow fleet is used by Russia to avoid Western sanctions on oil exports imposed following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It is formed of hundreds of tankers, many of which are aging and obscure who owns them.

UK-sanctioned tankers have avoided the Channel since the Smyrtos was intercepted with tracking data showing several vessels altering course to avoid the waterway.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson told BBC Verify that they would not comment on the Forwarder or "on specific operational planning".

They cited the danger that commenting publicly could limit their "ability to successfully take action against these ships".

But ship-tracking data appeared 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 helping to fund it war in Ukraine and keep its economy afloat.

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

A Nato official has previously told BBC Verify that the Russian warship, Admiral Grigorovich, has been assigned to escort sanctioned oil tankers. But it is unclear whether the frigate is accompanying the Forwarder.

A Nato official told BBC Verify that, as of Wednesday evening, Admiral Grigorovich had not moved far from the location of the incident.

In March, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that British armed forces "are now able to board sanctioned vessels that are passing through our waters" which were not operating in accordance with international law. But experts told BBC Verify it was unlikely the UK or France would seek to intercept the tanker.

"Going after vessels that are falsely flagged or misusing a flag of convenience is one thing, but this would be going after Russia directly which would be a further step up in escalation," said Frederik Van Lokeren, a former Belgian naval officer and maritime analyst.

"Since this is a Russian-flagged vessel, possibly escorted by a Russian warship, I don't expect the UK, or any other Western country, to attempt to board her," Van Lokeren said.

Mark Douglas, an analyst with Starboard Maritime Intelligence, also noted that the circumstances surrounding the Smyrtos had provided a much clearer legal basis for the UK to board the vessel.

"Give that the Cameroon registry had delisted Smyrtos before she sailed through the Channel there were definitely reasonable grounds to suspect the vessel was without nationality," he said.

"Forwarder, on the other hand, is flagged by Russia and despite the opaque ownership structure we have no information to suggest that is a false flag."

An MoD spokesperson told BBC Verify: "Any target ship will be individually considered by law enforcement, military and energy market specialists before an operation is executed."

In the aftermath of the boarding of Smyrtos, ship-tracking data showed multiple sanctioned tankers altered their course to avoid the English Channel. Many sanctioned vessels currently appear to be taking an alternate route around the west coast of Ireland.

In at least 94 instances, shadow fleet ships briefly crossed into UK territorial waters - a smaller zone that extends up to 12 nautical miles (14 miles; 23km) from the coast.