A Russian-flagged tanker,Forwarder,entered English Channel first time since UK boarded Smyrtos early Sunday. Tracking data shows vessel,departing from Primorsk last week,entered Channel Wednesday evening,heading toward Dongying port in China.
Forwarder's entry marks a shift,as UK-sanctioned vessels have mostly avoided this route since British forces intercepted Smyrtos. After that, many ships changed course to bypass Channel,ship-tracking data shows.
Forwarder has faced sanctions from UK,US,EU since 2025 for alleged oil smuggling. The tanker has changed names twice since. Satellite images confirm it left Primorsk June 12 after loading oil at Baltic Sea's largest refinery, key for Russia's energy exports .
Since full-scale Ukraine invasion in 2022, shadow fleet tankers like Forwarder have been crucial for Kremlin, moving around 75% of Russia's sanctioned oil. This shadowy fleet includes over 700 aging tankers,often with hidden ownership.
Reports suggest Royal Navy warship, HMS Tyne, operating near Forwarder. Meanwhile, Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich tasked with escorting sanctioned tankers, though unclear if it's with Forwarder. Admiral Grigorovich was involved in separate incident Tuesday, firing warning shots at British yacht in Channel.
By Wednesday evening,Admiral Grigorovich hadn't moved much from incident site. In March, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said British forces could board sanctioned vessels in UK waters if they broke international law. But maritime experts doubt UK or France will intercept Forwarder.
“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,former Belgian naval officer and maritime analyst. With Forwarder flying Russian flag and possible Russian escort,it's unlikely Western nations will board it.
Smyrtos was seized by Royal Marines and National Crime Agency officers for sailing without registered flag,violating international law. Now held off Weymouth coast,its captain faces charges for sanctions breach. Mark Douglas, analyst with Starboard Maritime Intelligence, said circumstances around Smyrtos gave UK clearer legal basis to act.
“Given 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,” Douglas explained. But Forwarder is Russian-flagged, with no evidence of false flag use.
After Smyrtos boarding, ship-tracking data showed many sanctioned tankers changed routes to avoid English Channel. Many now take paths around Ireland's west coast. In May, reports noted nearly 200 shadow fleet vessels passed through Channel since UK interception announcement,with at least 94 briefly entering UK waters.
