British special forces from the Royal Navy’s Special Boats Service (SBS) are “likely to lead the missions” on Russian shadow fleet tankers who are operating in UK waters.
The Russian shadow fleet has been sanctioned and the elite special forces could now target any vessels which is close to and or in British waters, The Times reported.
A defence source speaking to the Times said, “There is a broader appetite across Europe to do more, so it could be the UK contributing more to other European nations’ operations or doing something jointly.
“These types of things are quite complex.”
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The elite SBS could now fast rope onto different flagged ships, such as Russian, Iranian or Venezuelan to hijack the ship, its crew and any oil or produce on board.
A defence source confirmed on Tuesday that they are considering to develop the seizure of the shadow fleets and their crew, this comes after the government has set up a new legal basis for the shock and awe operations.
The Royal Navy describes the SBS as “among the most elite and soldiers in the entire British military,” who specialise in covert raids “that exploit the element of surprise”.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told the BBC, “The defence secretary set out in parliament this week that deterring, disrupting and degrading the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for this government.
But the spokesperson added that it will “not comment on specific operational planning”.
Last week the Venezuelan oil tanker Bella 1 who changed their name to the Marinera and then changed country status to being a Russian flagged ship has been seized by the US, according to NBC News.
Photos online show a MH-6 Little Bird helicopter carrying US forces approaching the Marinera in the North Atlantic.
The US operation was led by the Homeland Security with American military support, it is not known if the UK gave any assistance.
A at the time Russian Foreign Ministry told RT, “Moscow Monitoring Abnormal Situation Around Russian Tanker Marinera with Concern.
“The vessel is sailing in the international waters of the North Atlantic under the Russian state flag and in full compliance with the norms of international maritime law.”
“Despite being 4,000 km from US shores, the civilian vessel has been shadowed for days by US and NATO assets,” the Ministry added.
