At least 25 sanctioned Russian ships pass through UK waters after boarding threat

By Andrew MacAskill and Muvija M

LONDON, March 31 (Reuters) – More than two dozen ships sanctioned for being part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet have passed through British waters since Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week authorized the military to detain ships used by Moscow to export oil.

Figures based on ship tracking data analyzed by Reuters show British-sanctioned oil tankers continue to travel along England’s southern coast in the same numbers as before the announcement.

British officials said almost a week ago that the military was preparing to board ships over sanctions violations and that the government hoped the announcement would force ships to take longer routes through British waters. Russia called it an “extremely hostile act” and said it could retaliate.

According to Reuters analysis, while the British military has not announced that it has boarded any Russian ships since this statement, at least 25 sanctioned ships have entered British waters while passing through the Channel as before.

STARMER SAID RUSSIA COULD PROFIT FROM OIL PRICE INCREASE

James Fennell, a former British naval officer, said the British military would likely target Russian ships only selectively, citing the complexity of the operation, the threat of legal challenges and the risk that such action could push Britain “one step closer to war with Russia.”

“The government hopes the threat will act as a deterrent and will gauge its impact before approving a potentially risky boarding operation,” he said. “They will use back channels to tell Russia to cease and desist.”

The UK Ministry of Defense said any enforcement action would be “assessed on a case-by-case basis” and that it would not provide “an ongoing comment” on potential action.

Starmer said last Wednesday evening that Russian President Vladimir Putin allowed the boarding and detention of Russian ships to prevent them from making “dirty profits” from the sharp increase in oil prices due to the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Russian ships in the so-called shadow tanker fleet that Moscow uses to finance its four-year war against Ukraine are passing through the Canal, the most convenient route for traveling between the Baltic and Southern Europe and beyond.

Other European countries, including France, Belgium and Sweden, have boarded and detained ships in recent months to disrupt the shipping network.

Trump this month temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil as part of his administration’s attempt to rein in energy prices.

‘VERY LIMITED’ LEGAL BASIS FOR BOARDING SHIPS

Britain has imposed sanctions on 544 Russian shadow fleet ships, meaning they are banned from entering British ports and could be detained, according to the government.

Maritime data and intelligence company Pole Star Global said nearly two dozen of these ships had been sailing through British waters on average per week since the beginning of the year.

Douglas Guilfoyle, a professor at the University of New South Wales who specializes in maritime security, said Britain had to rely on untested legal arguments to board Russian ships even though it had sanctions on them.

Guilfoyle said there were only two clear legal grounds for detaining the ships: the U.N. Security Council’s sanctions regime (which is not currently in effect) or seizing the ships as a “countermeasure,” which he described as a “new and untested” legal argument in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“There are very limited exceptions that would justify interference with the right of transit or the right of innocent passage of a foreign ship – even if subject to autonomous sanctions by the UK,” he said.

Brett Erickson, a sanctions expert at consultancy firm Obsidian Risk Advisors, said the British government appears weak because it has said it is ready to detain Russian ships but has not yet taken any action.

“You can’t participate half and half with sanctions, you have to be all in or all out,” he said.

(Editing by Alison Williams)