Overview
- Sanctioned tankers kept moving through UK waters at pace, with at least 25 transiting the Channel since last Wednesday’s authorisation and no British boardings announced.
- Several ships diverted from the English Channel and then loitered near undersea cables west of Ireland and pipelines by the Shetlands, which stretched patrol and surveillance needs without clear signs of planned sabotage.
- Officials cite the UK Sanctions and Anti‑Money Laundering Act 2018 as the domestic basis for action, yet experts note UNCLOS protects innocent passage and say legal grounds to stop ships are very limited without a UN mandate or risky, untested countermeasure claims.
- Britain is coordinating with allies through the UK‑led Joint Expeditionary Force and shared AI tracking tools such as the Nordic Warden system, while France, Belgium and Sweden have already carried out boardings in their waters.
- Russian state media branded seizures as piracy and a leading TV host threatened missile strikes on Royal Navy ships, even as strikes on Russia’s Baltic oil terminals have disrupted loading and may explain tankers loitering or rerouting.