The tanker SMYRTOS, linked to Russia’s shadow fleet and already subject to sanctions by a number of countries, has been detained in British territorial waters for the first time; its detention could signal a tightening of actual oversight over compliance with the sanctions regime.
This was reported by Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the President’s Representative on Sanctions Policy, in comments to Ukrinform.
“For the first time, the United Kingdom has detained a tanker linked to Russia’s shadow fleet in its waters. The vessel in question is the SMYRTOS—a ship that underwent a complete restructuring of ownership and management over the past year and operated on Russian oil export routes,” he noted.
The representative recalled that after February 2025, the vessel changed its name from MYRTOS to SMYRTOS and its management structure. At various times, Daira Shipping Ltd (Seychelles), Crest Maritime Pte Ltd (Singapore), and later Zhao Yao Shipping Ltd (Hong Kong) were involved, while the ultimate beneficiaries remain opaque.
Vlasiuk emphasized that Crest Maritime also managed other tankers involved in the export of Russian oil following the imposition of sanctions and the G7 price cap.
