Translated material
The first tanker of the “shadow fleet” after the detention of SMYRTOS passes through the English Channel next to the Russian frigate
Available in EnglishThe tanker FORWARDER (IMO: 9419448), which is under sanctions from the UK, EU, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Ukraine and other countries, entered the English Channel under the Russian flag and continues to move south. This is the first known Russian shadow fleet vessel to pass through the strait since the tanker SMYRTOS (IMO: 9389100) was seized by British authorities on June 14. Judging by the vessel's draft data, which The Insider examined, it is loaded.
According to maritime traffic tracking data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence , FORWARDER is approaching the same area of the English Channel where the tanker SMYRTOS was detained a few days earlier. The published routes show that the ship travels from the Baltic Sea through the North Sea towards the Atlantic.
The path of the tanker FORWARDER (IMO: 9419448) at the time of writing 16:40 (Moscow time)
As The Insider found out, FORWARDER is also being monitored by a British patrol vessel. According to maritime monitoring data, the Royal Navy ship was in the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, but after the tanker appeared near the entrance to the English Channel, it quickly closed the distance to the Russian ship. The British ship is currently following FORWARDER at a distance of approximately 4.3 nautical miles.
It is also known that the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich is located in the same area of the English Channel through which FORWARDER is currently passing. This ship has previously been spotted escorting tankers through the strait that are under sanctions and related to Russian oil exports.
The presence of a frigate in the strait became known after an incident with the British pleasure yacht Bright Future. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the crew of the Admiral Grigorovich tried several times to contact the yacht, which, according to the department, was dangerously close to the warship. After the distance was reduced to 150 meters, the Russian frigate opened warning fire at the ship's heading.
Frigate "Admiral Grigorovich"
FORWARDER left the Russian port of Primorsk after loading with oil and indicates the Chinese port of Dongying as its final destination. Previously, the tanker was known as HENG TAI.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, during the period of the G7+ price ceiling mechanism, the ship participated in the transportation of Russian oil and petroleum products. In particular, in June 2024, the tanker was involved in operations in the Greek Gulf of Lakonikos, which is considered one of the main centers for transshipment of Russian oil from ship to ship. It is also reported that the ship called at Russian ports, where oil was trading above the price ceiling set by Western countries.
The tanker is associated with Hengtai Shipping Limited. In January 2025, the United States imposed sanctions against the company for its activities in the energy sector of the Russian economy, and also separately included FORWARDER itself in the sanctions list as a vessel in which the company has a property interest.
Subsequently, sanctions against the tanker were imposed by the European Union, Switzerland, Great Britain, Canada and Ukraine. In February 2026, Ukraine also imposed sanctions against the ship's captain.
The appearance of FORWARDER in the English Channel is noteworthy because after the detention of SMYRTOS, a number of other tankers, which are associated with the Russian “shadow fleet”, chose to change routes and avoid passing through the strait.
As The Insider previously established based on data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, after the detention of SMYRTOS, at least several sanctioned tankers changed course. Among them were LION I (IMO: 9384069), C VIKING (IMO: 9261657), SONA (IMO: 9428358) and MAINI (IMO: 9319870).
SMYRTOS was detained on the night of June 14 during an operation by the British military and members of the National Crime Agency (NCA). After security forces boarded the tanker, the tanker was taken under control and moved to an anchorage off the southern coast of England.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, SMYRTOS has been involved in the transportation of Russian oil and petroleum products since the beginning of 2025, mainly from the port of Kozmino in the Far East. The vessel is under sanctions of the European Union, Great Britain, Switzerland, Canada and Ukraine.
The English Channel remains one of the most important routes for Russian oil exports from Baltic ports. A significant portion of tankers exporting Russian oil from Primorsk and Ust-Luga traditionally pass through this sea corridor. Therefore, any risks of detention, inspection or other restrictive measures can increase the cost of transportation and force “shadow fleet” operators to use longer routes.
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