Arrest made after seizure of Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in International Shipping News 16/06/2026 National Crime Agency (NCA) officers have arrested an Indian national on suspicion of sanctions offences after the dramatic seizure of a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel on Sunday. He was taken into custody for questioning by investigators following the operation mounted by Royal Marine Commandos along with the NCA. The NCA said 24 Georgian and Indian crew members remained aboard the Smyrtos, anchored off the Dorset coast. Sunday’s operation, which saw commandos fast-roping from a helicopter on to the tanker, was the first of its kind carried out by UK armed forces. Russia uses hundreds of oil tankers sanctioned by the UK and other Western states over its invasion of Ukraine. British sanctions ban vessels from this “shadow fleet”, as it is known in the West, from entering UK ports and also prohibit British firms and individuals from providing financial, insurance or brokerage services to ships that supply or deliver Russian oil. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) says the UK has sanctioned more than 500 such ships. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in March that British armed forces were “now able to board sanctioned vessels that are passing through our waters”. On Sunday he said: “This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the UK for taking an “important step against Russia’s oil fleet”. There was no immediate response from Moscow, which has previously described similar interceptions as illegal and “bordering on international piracy”. According to tracking website MarineTraffic, Smyrtos sails under a Cameroon flag. It began its journey on 5 June from Russia’s Ust-Luga port, an oil terminal near St Petersburg, before crossing west into the Channel on Saturday, BBC V