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Written question asked by Richard Holden (Conservative) on Thursday, 2 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 July 2026. It was answered by Louise Sandher-Jones (Labour) on Thursday, 9 July 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


Russia: Shipping

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vessels identified as part of the Russian shadow fleet have been boarded since 24 February 2022 by UK (a) military and (b) law enforcement personnel; and what information his Department holds on the number of vessels identified as part of the Russian shadow fleet that have been boarded since 24 February 2022 by the (i) military and (ii) law enforcement personnel of allied countries.

Answer

The UK-led interdiction of the sanctioned oil tanker SMYRTOS in June was the first of its kind. The UK has also supported multiple allied interdictions of sanctioned vessels in recent months.

We welcome the actions of our Allies, including France, Belgium and Sweden, who have taken action to interdict a number of sanctioned vessels involved in the export of sanctioned Russian oil.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
15462
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Shipping Sanctions Russia
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk