Keir Starmer has granted new powers for British forces to board and potentially detain sanctioned vessels passing through its waters in a bid to ramp up economic pressure on Russia, as its war on Ukraine continues.
Both the armed forces and law enforcement agencies will be able to intercept ships deemed part of Moscow’s shadow fleet — a loose network of aging tankers with opaque ownership structures which are used to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil exports.
The move comes after Britain assisted the U.S. in seizing a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic in January, and establishes the U.K. position more clearly amid debate over whether stateless ships can be legally boarded or seized.
British efforts to counter the rogue vessels have so far mostly focused on tracking, monitoring and providing intelligence to allies. But Downing Street announced the U.K. would be able to lead more active operations, as Starmer travels to Finland for a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) on Thursday.
Starmer stressed ahead of the trip that Ukraine’s allies need to be even more vigilant about policing sanctions against Russia in light of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
He said in a statement: “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.”
Several JEF members – including Finland, Sweden and Estonia – have already conducted actions against suspected shadow fleet ships in the Baltic Sea, targeting what they see as a growing sanctions-evasion network operating on their doorstep.
By extending similar powers to British forces, London is aiming to limit routes available to shadow fleet operators and force them to take longer, more expensive journeys.
