Britain’s first interception of a suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker has been labelled a “deeply cynical ploy” aimed at bolstering Sir Keir Starmer’s image, according to a former Royal Navy commander.
Royal Marines carried out a six-hour boarding operation on the tanker Smyrtos in the early hours of Sunday in the English Channel.
The seizure came at the end of a difficult week for the Prime Minister, after Defence Secretary John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns resigned amid an escalating row over military spending. Former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe, who served for 27 years and captained four warships, questioned the timing of the operation.
Speaking to the Express, he said more than 100 shadow fleet vessels had passed through since the government first pledged action in March without being stopped. “There’s just no way that the perfect one happened to pop up just as everything else is descending into farce,” he said.
He suggested the timing looked politically convenient. “This is a deeply cynical ploy to make defence look strong, to make Starmer look strong,” he added, while also acknowledging the action itself was “the right thing to do.”
He questioned why it wasn’t carried out earlier, saying it could have happened weeks or even months before.
Footage released by the Ministry of Defence showed commandos fast-roping from a Chinook helicopter onto the tanker under cover of darkness. National Crime Agency officers also boarded the Cameroon-flagged vessel.
The operation involved Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, an RAF P-8A Poseidon aircraft, and Royal Navy ships HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.
The MoD said the interception followed weeks of planning, though Sharpe argued it could also have been triggered quickly if needed.
Sir Keir Starmer described the seizure as “another blow” to Russia, saying it showed those funding Putin’s war in Ukraine cannot hide.
The so-called shadow fleet—around 700 ageing tankers with unclear ownership and flags of convenience—is widely used to move Russian oil and gas while evading sanctions. The MoD says it carries around 75% of Russia’s sanctioned oil exports.
New Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis praised the operation, calling it a display of “skill, professionalism and courage,” and said it dealt a blow to Russia’s war funding. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also backed the action, praising the Royal Marines and supporting continued pressure on Moscow.
The Smyrtos, already under UK sanctions since October, was seized in international waters more than 12 nautical miles off England’s south coast. It is now being held near Weymouth, Dorset, and monitored for safety and environmental risks.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the helicopters involved launched from southwest England shortly after midnight.
Sharpe called the mission a “job well done” but not a particularly difficult one, warning that if anything had gone wrong it could have escalated quickly.
He also predicted the move may push more shadow fleet ships to reroute around Ireland or sail under Russian flags to avoid future seizures, potentially increasing voyage times and complications at sea.
