Special Forces could capture Russian-flagged ‘shadow fleet’ oil tankers

British special forces could capture Russian-flagged ‘shadow fleet’ oil tankers, a source has told the Times. This latest macho claim must be taken in the context of regular MOD leaks to the Murdoch-owned paper. Right on cue, the right-wing press picked up and churned the story: the Sun and Express led the way.

‘Shadow fleet‘ refers to oil tankers and other shipping used by states like Russia to beat western sanctions. The unnamed Defence source told the Times:

If you want to dial up the economic pressure on Russia, that looks like operators fast-roping on to illegal oil tankers.

‘Operators’ is an Americanism — shorthand for special forces troops. The War on Terror saw Special forces units were given a virtual free rein. The result: a heap of war crimes allegations and a mythology of their invulnerability.

US reliance on special forces

The expansion of US special forces has been massive. As historian Adam Tooze pointed out in the Financial Times on 11 January:

Though Maduro was a high-status target, operations to hunt down those designated as enemies of the United States are anything but exceptional. The special forces establishment, currently numbering in the order of 70,000 “operators”, is in action continuously.

For context, the entire British Army is only 82,000 strong. The Times also claimed that a little-known legal provision would permit such piracy:

UK officials believe they have found grounds for authorising soldiers to board and detain oil tankers under the Sanctions and Money Laundering Act in a move that could put hundreds of sanctioned and stateless shadow tankers on notice.

Under maritime law, each vessel must be registered to a specific country or territory and display its flag. This allows it to travel in international waters and offers it certain protections, while ships that are deemed stateless could be targets for seizure.

Shadow fleets and shadow wars

US Delta Force operators snatched Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from a compound in Caracas on 3 January. In the days after the kidnap the US boarded and captured the Russian-flagged tanker Marinera in the north Atlantic. The UK military supported that mission. The US has captured other tankers in the Caribbean recently too.

Emboldened by the success of the Caracas mission, US president Donald Trump has asserted US foreign policy is now whatever he says is moral:

Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.

The nuclear risks of capturing Russian ships in this way are obvious. But Trump’s expansionist aims are clear. Trump has since threatened Mexico, Colombia and Cuba — plus Iran and Greenland.

Keir Starmer seems incapable of challenging Trump. Starmer flip-flopped over the unlawful Caracas operation, refusing to condemn the act of aggression. And then approved US use of military bases against the Marinera tanker.

What started in the War on Terror has mutated. From kill-or-capture missions in the Middle East and Afghanistan, special forces are now the ‘go-to’ solve for all problems — even at the risk of nuclear escalation.

Featured image via the Canary