Britain is ‘completely keen’ to do extra after its involvement in seizing Russian-flagged oil tanker in North Atlantic, says cupboard minister
A zombie crude oil tanker bound for Russia passed through the Channel Thursday night in brazen defiance of Donald Trump.
The presence of the rusting, 100,000-tonne vessel set the scene for another dramatic Special Forces raid on the high seas, if the US President chooses to intervene.
The Arcusat’s appearance came as the UK pledged to step up its support for US-led operations against ghost fleet ships carrying Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan oil.
Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander said Britain was ‘absolutely willing’ to do more following its involvement in the dramatic intervention to seize the tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic on Wednesday.
The Scottish Secretary added: ‘The ship is part of the shadow fleet that funds Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
‘Our national interest is served by avoiding the illegal fuelling of terrorism, of conflict and of misery, whether in Ukraine, the Middle East or anywhere else.’
The Government’s pledge came after heavily armed troops boarded the Kremlin-backed vessel in atrocious conditions.
US commandos rappelled down from Black Hawk helicopters, as huge waves crashed against the Marinera, to seize the ship as a Russian submarine loitered nearby.
A zombie crude oil tanker bound for Russia passed through the Channel Thursday night in brazen defiance of Donald Trump. The Arcusat’s appearance came as the UK pledged to step up its support for US-led operations against ghost fleet ships carrying Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan oil. Pictured: The Arcusat
Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander said Britain was ‘absolutely willing’ to do more following its involvement in the dramatic intervention to seize the tanker Marinera (pictured) in the North Atlantic on Wednesday
U.S. President Donald Trump addresses House Republicans at their annual issues conference retreat, at the Kennedy Center, renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center by the Trump-appointed board of directors, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 6, 2026
The latest rogue Russian vessel, the Arcusat, is an 800ft-long tanker known before as the Tavian and the Tia, left Turkey last month.
Previously she was based at Primorsk in Russia and is linked to a Moscow-backed multi-billion-dollar ghost fleet.
The ship is in poor condition, according to reports, and is called a ‘zombie tanker’ because it has adopted identities of ships no longer sailing in a bid to escape law officials.
Disguised as various unsanctioned vessels and ‘spoofing’ coastguards by assuming the identification numbers of legitimate ships, she has evaded capture for months.
The ship has also sailed under various flags, such as Cameroon and Tanzania.
And this is not her first journey through the Straits of Dover with previous sightings off the English coast in October and December, carrying 730,000 barrels of Russian crude oil.
The world’s ghost fleet is estimated to include 1,500 vessels, with 400 linked to Venezuela.
Some of these shadow ships have been tied to a Kremlin campaign to destroy undersea cables in the North Sea and the Baltic carrying vital Western communications.
Following the daring joint US-British operation to intercept the Marinera, China accused the US of ‘severe violations’ of international law by seizing that ship and the Russian-flagged MT Sophia in the Caribbean on the same day.
Moscow claimed the Marinera had received temporary permission to sail under the Russian flag and was peacefully heading for one of its ports.
