Boarding shadow fleet tanker gets seal of approval from former head of the Royal Marines
Boarding the Russian shadow fleet vessel Smyrtos to curb the illegal trafficking of oil was the correct action to take, a former Commandant General of the Royal Marines has said.
"Putin's propensity to subvert the international order by a thousand cuts, he takes an inch and grabs a mile, so I think he needs to be challenged wherever we can challenge him," Major General Buster Howes told BFBS Forces News.
"We used to intercept – and still do – people in the South West Approaches bringing drugs into Britain. It's the stock in trade of maritime special forces.
The right thing to do
"It's the right thing to do. We need to police our waters, we need to show that we have control over our waters.
"Russia's propensity to cut or disrupt our communications, our digital links, our sovereign infrastructure, you're back to the reason why Putin invaded Ukraine.
"So I think [boarding shadow vessels] is the right thing to do. There's risk involved in all these things – but there's also risk in doing nothing."
A UK Commando Force first
Royal Marines from 42 Commando were involved in the boarding in the English Channel – with the operation being filmed by Royal Navy photographers.
This operation was the first of its kind on a Russian vessel in the Channel by the UK Commando Force.
The initial boarding started before first light and was carried out by marines from Kilo Company, fast-roping from two Chinook helicopters.
Old weapons system favoured over new
The marines were accompanied by specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency to examine the documentation on the crude oil tanker Smyrtos.
Once on board, the marines' task would have been to secure the ship's bridge, plus the engine room and cargo control room.
Later images supplied by the Navy show more personnel and equipment being winched onto the deck of the Russian tanker from a Merlin helicopter.
Members of the Royal Marines boarding team were later filmed inside the ship. They were wearing immersion suits as standard in these operations in case they go overboard.
They also wore special lightweight body armour with built-in additional flotation aids.
They were armed with L119 C8 rifles and not 42 Commando's new SIG MCX rifles. These weapons are both more suitable for confined spaces than the marines' KS-1 rifles.
Political or military motivation?
Speculation has arisen that the timing of this operation was politically motivated to show the Government is acting decisively on defence.
The high-profile filming of this interception indicates the boarding was meant to send a message to the Russians, our European partner countries and a domestic audience.
The Russian navy is known to escort ships through the Channel at times, but as there were no Russian military vessels in the area this was an unopposed boarding.
Russian corvette Boikiy, which had been conducting escort duties last year, was not available as she was heavily damaged by Ukrainian drones on 3 June in the Baltic Sea.
The operation also included Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland and Mine Counter Measures Vessel HMS Ledbury, plus a Wildcat helicopter and P-8 Poseidon in overwatch.
The Russian tanker is now being held by the Royal Navy near Portland Bill in Dorset.
Shadow fleet vessels transiting from the Baltic Sea will now need take the long diversion around Scotland and Ireland to avoid being intercepted by the Royal Navy in the English Channel.
The French and US Coast Guard have also intercepted Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Atlantic this year.
With additional reporting by Mike Morton
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