France intercepts suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker in Mediterranean

PARIS: The French navy intercepted a Russian tanker on Thursday in the Mediterranean suspected to be part of the shadow fleet that enables Russia to export oil despite sanctions.

“This operation was carried out … with the support of several of our allies. It was conducted in full compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on X.

The interception was on high seas in the Western Mediterranean, between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco, the French maritime police said in a separate statement.

Navies of other countries, including Britain, supported the operation, the statement added.

READ MORE: Russia accuses US of stoking ‘military-political tension’ with tanker seizure

British defence minister John Healey said Britain had provided tracking and monitoring support for the operation. This support included a vessel, HMS Dagger, monitoring the tanker, named the GRINCH, as it passed through the Straits of Gibraltar.

Russia adapts to sanctions

The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions against Russia, but Moscow has adapted to most measures and continues to sell millions of barrels of oil to countries such as India and China, typically at discounted prices.

Much of the oil is carried by what is known as a shadow fleet of vessels operating outside of the Western maritime industry.

The intercepted tanker was sailing from Murmansk in northern Russia and is subject to international sanctions and suspected of operating under a false flag, Macron said in his post.

The tanker was sailing under a Comoros flag, according to data provided by LSEG.

“The activities of the shadow fleet contribute to financing (Russia’s) war of aggression against Ukraine,” Macron added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a post on X that the operation was “exactly the kind of resolve needed”.

He suggested the oil carried by tankers of the shadow fleet be confiscated and sold.

The case was referred to the prosecutor of Marseille, who handles matters related to maritime law. The prosecutor ordered the ship to be diverted for further investigation. Moscow said France had not notified Russia about the interception, TASS news agency reported.

The Russian consulate in Marseille is trying to find out whether Russian citizens are among the crew members, TASS reported, citing the Russian embassy in France.

In October, France detained another sanctioned tanker, the Boracay, off its west coast and released it after a few days.