Royal Navy to set up new drone surveillance base to "deter, disrupt and degrade" Russian shadow fleet

The force will be utilising autonomous drones and un-crewed vessels to keep an eye on commercial ships breaching sanctions. Forces News reports that the site will be set up in the northeast of England.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson told the publication: "Deterring, disrupting, and degrading the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for this government. To date, we have imposed sanctions on over 500 Russia-related shadow fleet oil tankers and 16 liquefied natural gas tankers, and Russia’s critical oil revenues are down 27 per cent compared to October 2024 – the lowest since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Alongside our allies, we are stepping up our response to shadow vessels – and we will continue to do so. We will not comment on specific operational planning."

HMS Calliope in Gateshead, currently the Royal navy Reserve Training Centre, could be a possible location if it’s re-purposed. The proposal is currently i the procurement process, but given that the threat of Russian activity in the North Atlantic was highlighted in detail in the Strategic Defence Review, it could prove to be a priority.

Defence secretary John Healey previously said almost half of the Russian shadow fleet’s overall capacity has been taken off the seas, reducing sanctioned oil revenues by 27 per cent compared to October 2024. Illicit trading is used by Moscow to fund its illegal invasion of Ukraine. “The UK will not stand by while malign activity increases on the high seas,” he added. “Alongside our allies, we’re stepping up our response to shadow vessels and will continue to do so.”

These ships regularly use false or fraudulent flags to shirk sanctions. The Guardian reported that 23 of these ships were spotted in the English Channel or Baltic Sea in January. Many are linked to exporting oil, usually by water to China, India, and Turkey.

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The Guardian said the UK is threatening to seize a Russian-linked shadow fleet tanker in an escalatory move. UK, Germany, France and other Nato countries bordering the Baltic and North seas late last month said all vessels sailing through either region should “strictly comply with applicable international law”. The statement set out the conditions for a seizure, but no action has been made so far.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary sailors and RAF personnel supported a US operation to seize the Marinera tanker, also known as Bella 1, last month. HMS Dagger, based in Gibraltar, assisted the French Navy in seizing the Grinch tanker in the western Mediterranean, which was said to be flying the false flag of the Comoros.

After the operation, Mr Healey said: “Alongside our allies, we are stepping up our response to shadow vessels – to choke off the funds that fuel (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

Richard Meade, the editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List told The Guardian: “The Royal Navy could challenge any number of ships under maritime law because they are in fact stateless, but they haven’t, because there are escalatory risks.”