Some interesting data given the recent international tensions;
Pole Star Global, the global leader in maritime intelligence, today released data showing 301 Russian shadow fleet vessel events in UK waters in the first three months of 2026, with activity increasing month on month.
The data comes as the UK government announced on 25 March that British military and law enforcement officers will now be able to board, interdict and detain sanctioned shadow fleet vessels transiting UK waters, including the English Channel. The announcement, made by Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Joint Expeditionary Force Summit in Helsinki, marks a significant escalation in the UK’s efforts to disrupt Russia’s shadow fleet operation, which the government says is fuelling Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Pole Star Global’s data illustrates the scale of the challenge facing UK authorities. The company recorded 95 vessel events in January, 100 in February and 106 in March. The majority occurred within the British Exclusive Economic Zone (172 events) and British 12 nautical mile territorial waters (109 events), with incidents also recorded in British internal waters and specific UK ports including Belfast, Immingham and Grangemouth.
“Sanctions have always required the credible threat of enforcement to be effective. What we are seeing now, from the US and UK to allies across Europe, is a new willingness to act on that threat. Our data shows a clear and increasing pattern of Russian shadow fleet activity in UK waters, and the government’s decision to move from listing vessels to physically intercepting them reflects a broader shift underway. Sanctions on paper only work when they are backed by the capability and willingness to act on the water, and that requires the intelligence to know exactly which vessels to target and where.” – Alex Field, Managing Director of Pole Star Defense
The UK has to date imposed sanctions on 544 Russian shadow fleet vessels. The government’s announcement follows similar interdiction operations by JEF allies including Finland, Sweden and Estonia in the Baltic
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