London, June 14 — Avia.pro. An unprecedented incident in the area of ​​international maritime law and sanctions clashes has been recorded in European waters, where British security agencies conducted their first military operation against Russian energy exports.

According to an official statement from the UK Ministry of Defence, the large Cameroon-flagged tanker SMYRTOS was successfully intercepted in the English Channel. The vessel, loaded with crude oil, departed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga on June 1 and was attempting to cross the Channel westward. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that he personally authorised this enforcement mission.

The special operation in British territorial waters lasted approximately six hours. The assault involved members of an elite Royal Marine unit, along with specially trained officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA). Air and naval support for the raid was provided by aircraft and helicopters from the Naval Air Group (Chinook, Merlin Mk4, and Wildcat), an RAF P-8 patrol aircraft, and the crews of the combat frigates HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury.

At the present time, the tanker SMYRTOS has been forcibly escorted and is temporarily held at a special anchorage off the south coast of England.