The British warship that shows how UK is stalking Putin’s shadow fleet

French troops rappelled onto the rusted deck of the Tagor from a naval helicopter hovering overhead. With the help of British forces, they were intercepting a sanctioned oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”.

The rusted tanker had left Russia’s northern shores at the end of May, originally sailing under the flag of Madagascar, but switching to Cameroon mid-voyage.

But the Cameroon maritime register has been closed since February, and the ship stood accused of fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine. The ship’s false flag, and its mid-voyage change of allegiance, made it a sitting duck for Europe’s next interdiction against Vladimir Putin’s illicit fleet.

As the Tagor sailed towards the Atlantic, the HMS Somerset – a British warship carrying the UK Special Force’s maritime task force – and its accompanying helicopter, helped monitor and track the vessel.

On Sunday, when it reached 400 nautical miles west of Brittany, in international waters, armed French forces boarded the vessel.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the seizure on X revealing the “support of several partners including the United Kingdom”.

He wrote: “It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than 4 years.

“These vessels, which fail to adhere to the most basic rules of maritime navigation, also pose a threat to the environment and to everyone’s safety.”

In February, the UK Foreign Office sanctioned the Tagor for transporting illicit Russian oil across the globe and fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine. It’s seizure in international waters raises further questions as to why the UK has not yet performed any seizures of its own.

Over 200 sanctioned tankers have sailed through UK waters since Sir Keir Starmer made a vow to crack down on Russia’s shadow fleet. Putin’s tankers and warships have continued to loiter near UK critical infrastructure and transport military capabilities near to UK shores.

Although they stand accused of engaging in nefarious trades, the legality of trying to seize shadow fleet ships is limited under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The internationally recognised law states that ships, even if sanctioned, are to be given the right of innocent passage through international waters. However, under the same convention, a ship cannot change its flag mid-voyage, which would have made the Tagor subject to seizure.

The Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov blasted the “illegal” seizure which he said was “bordering on international piracy”.

“Russia is taking measures to ensure the safety of its cargo,” he added.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed Britain had helped in the French operation, arguing that they were “stepping up” the UK’s response to the shadow fleet.

A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a helicopter from onboard HMS Somerset provided tracking and monitoring in support of the French operation to board the tanker Tagor.

“Alongside our allies, we are stepping up our response to shadow vessels – to choke off the funds that fuel Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”