British forces boarded and seized a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the English Channel in the early hours of Sunday, in what the Ministry of Defence described as the first UK-led operation of its kind.
The vessel, named as the Smyrtos, was intercepted by Royal Marine commandos and specially trained officers from the National Crime Agency during a six-hour operation. It is being held off the south coast of England as investigations continue.
The seizure is the first time Britain has led an interdiction of a shadow fleet vessel in its own waters, after months in which UK assets had supported similar operations by allies.
What happened?
The MoD said Royal Marine commandos and National Crime Agency officers boarded the Smyrtos in the Channel during the early hours of Sunday, in an operation that lasted six hours.
