Written question asked by Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative) on Monday, 12 October 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 15 October 2026 (named day). It was answered by Stephen Doughty (Labour) on Thursday, 15 October 2026 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Russia: English Channel
- Question
-
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has his department made of the potential impact of interdicting Russian shadow fleet vessels transiting the English Channel carrying diesel bound for the United States.
- Answer
-
On 14 June, the UK interdicted the Shadow Fleet vessel SMYRTOS. Following this operation we have seen a significant diversion of Shadow Fleet vessels away from the English Channel owing to the risk of being interdicted.
Sanctions have denied Russia access to at least $495 billion since February 2022. The UK has sanctioned 640 Shadow Fleet vessels causing severe disruption, with many sanctioned tankers still unable to load or unload Russian cargo, thereby imposing additional costs on Russia's oil trade. We will not comment on future interdiction operations.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 33975
- Session
- 2026-27
- Subjects
- Shipping USA Russia Diesel English Channel
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-10-15 18:30:21 +0100
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2026-27/33975
- In Indexing
- http://indexing.parliament.uk/Content/Edit/1?uri=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2026-27/33975
- In Solr
- https://search.parliament.uk/claw/solr/?id=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2026-27/33975