The Telegraph reports that the UK defended its seizure of MT Smyrtos after Vladimir Putin threatened to respond in kind to more tanker seizures. The vessel was intercepted and boarded by Royal Marines Commandos in June and remains detained near Weymouth under British monitoring.
Ajay Pant, the tanker’s captain, has been charged with breaching Russian sanctions and is accused of directly or indirectly supplying or delivering prohibited Russian oil. The UK Ministry of Defence says Russia has a fleet of more than 700 vessels carrying 75% of the country’s sanctioned oil.
June boarding of MT Smyrtos
Royal Marines Commandos intercepted and boarded MT Smyrtos in the English Channel in June, in what the verified facts describe as a first-of-its-kind operation. The Department of Transport continues to hold the vessel at a port near Weymouth, where British authorities are monitoring it.
The UK government said Britain’s armed forces and law-enforcement officers acted “in full accordance with international law.” A government spokesperson also said, “The UK is disrupting and deterring shadow fleet vessels and their harmful maritime activity which is fuelling Russia’s war with Ukraine,” and added, “UK armed forces and commercial vessels operate firmly in line with international maritime law.”
Putin and Viktor Liina
On Wednesday, Putin said Western countries had been “seizing our vessels” and called such action “nothing other than piracy and banditry.” He warned, “If these plans are put into practice, we will have to respond in kind,” and said the response could come “wherever we deem it necessary and appropriate, anywhere.”
Viktor Liina, the commander of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, said Western countries such as Britain and France operate their own shadow fleets. He said Russia has “the capacity to inspect and detain vessels of unfriendly states and their shadow fleets,” and that interagency cooperation is in place to address the issue.
Weymouth detention
The seizure leaves MT Smyrtos held near Weymouth while the sanctions case around Pant moves forward. The practical result is a detained tanker, a charged captain, and a public warning from Putin that Russia may answer by detaining vessels it sees as unfriendly.
