184 Sanctioned Russian Shadow Fleet Ships Enter UK Waters Since Starmer Warning

Nearly 200 vessels from Russia's so-called shadow fleet have entered UK waters since Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned seven weeks ago that British forces could board them, according to BBC Verify analysis.

In March, Starmer announced that British armed forces are now able to board sanctioned vessels passing through UK waters. BBC Verify identified 184 UK-sanctioned vessels that made 238 journeys through UK waters since then. The government has not publicly stated or offered evidence that any have been boarded.

The Ministry of Defence said it is disrupting and deterring shadow fleet vessels but provided no specific details. Former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe called the lack of action pathetic.

Each ship entered the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends up to 200 nautical miles (230 miles; 370 km) from the coastline. Most journeys passed through the English Channel. In at least 94 cases, ships briefly crossed into UK territorial waters, a zone up to 12 nautical miles (14 miles; 23 km) from the coast.

BBC Verify understands the UK's interception policy covers both territorial waters and the EEZ. Russia uses the shadow fleet of tankers with obscure ownership to evade sanctions on its oil exports.

BBC Verify tracked all 184 UK-sanctioned ships, listed by the Foreign Office for Russia links, using MarineTraffic data from March 25 to 15:00 BST on May 11. Sanctions bar these vessels from UK ports and prohibit British firms and individuals from providing financial, insurance or brokerage services to ships supplying or delivering Russian oil.

The government aims to target Russia's oil revenues to choke off funding for its war machine in Ukraine. Of the ships, 173 were oil tankers, 10 were liquefied natural gas tankers and one was a multipurpose offshore vessel, per MarineTraffic.

MarineTraffic relies on ships' Automatic Identification System trackers, which can be turned off to hide identity and location. Data showed gaps west of Scotland and Ireland.

Sharpe told BBC Verify the lack of boardings was utterly confusing and pathetic. He said the UK has military capability including warships, boarding teams and Customs and Excise, but shows no maritime spine, remains risk averse and poorly coordinated.

Satellite images obtained by BBC Verify show one sanctioned oil tanker, Universal, escorted by a Russian warship. Experts from intelligence firm MAIAR matched vessel dimensions and other reports, including one from the Telegraph, to conclude it was highly likely the frigate Admiral Grigorovich.

Ship-tracking data places the tanker in UK waters in the early hours of April 8 before it transited the Channel. Alessio Patalano, professor of war and strategy at King's College London, said the escort suggested the UK was keeping the Russians under pressure.

The Kremlin criticized the UK's threat to detain Russian vessels as another deeply hostile step directed at Russia and warned such actions have consequences.

Shipping lawyer James M Turner KC of Quadrant Chambers said legal constraints may prevent boardings. He noted that, with few exceptions, a coastal state cannot seize vessels flying another country's flag.

Turner said a ship traveling through UK waters under a flag it is entitled to fly leaves very little a coastal state can do, even if sanctioned or carrying sanctioned goods. He questioned how the policy was formulated, calling it incapable of application unless a tanker is falsely flagged or has no flag, and said rhetoric and reality do not coincide.

Tracking data showed some ships, including oil tanker Yi Tong registered to China's Pacific Shipmanagement in Shandong province, changing routes. In 2025, Yi Tong traveled to and from Russia's Port of Ust-Luga to China via the English Channel. Last month, it took a longer route around Ireland and north of Scotland, avoiding the Channel and UK territorial waters.

The MoD said it was disrupting and deterring the shadow fleet. More than 700 suspected vessels had been challenged since October 2024. It would not comment on specific operations as that could compromise action against the ships, and gave no further details on what challenging means.