First Russian shadow fleet vessel enters Channel since Smyrtos boarding

A Russian "shadow fleet" tanker has entered the English Channel for the first time since UK forces boarded the Smyrtos early on Sunday morning, ship tracking data reviewed by BBC Verify shows.

Forwarder, a Russian-flagged ship that left port in Primorsk last week, entered the Channel on Wednesday evening and sailed south. It is broadcasting its final destination as Dongying port in China.

UK-sanctioned shadow fleet vessels have avoided the Channel since British troops intercepted the Smyrtos, with tracking data showing a number of sanctioned ships altering course to avoid the waterway in the aftermath of the operation.

BBC Verify has approached the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for comment.

Ship-tracking data appears to show a Royal Navy warship, HMS Tyne, operating in the area near the tanker's location.

Forwarder was sanctioned by the UK, the US and the EU in 2025. Since the British government accused it of smuggling oil from Russia, the vessel has changed its name twice.

Satellite imagery showed Forwarder left Primorsk on 12 June after loading oil. The refinery is the largest in the Baltic Sea and is a critical export hub for Russia's energy industry.

Shadow fleet tankers such as Forwarder have provided a critical lifeline for the Kremlin since the West imposed sanctions on its energy exports in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.