French Navy Intercepts Suspected Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Oil Tanker in Mediterranean

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Paris: The French navy has intercepted and diverted a Russian-linked oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea suspected of belonging to Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet,” a network of vessels used to export oil in circumvention of international sanctions.

President Emmanuel Macron said French forces boarded and searched the tanker on Thursday, describing it as a Russian vessel subject to international sanctions and suspected of sailing under a false flag.

“The operation was carried out on the high seas in the Mediterranean, with the support of several of our allies,” Macron said in a post on X, adding that the ship had been diverted for further checks.

French maritime authorities identified the tanker as the Grinch, which was located between southern Spain and northern Morocco before being redirected. The Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture said an examination of the ship’s documents raised doubts over the legitimacy of its flag registration.

The vessel is now being escorted by the French navy to an anchorage point for additional verification, authorities said.

The interception comes amid intensified efforts by the United States and European allies to crack down on Russia’s shadow fleet, which has enabled Moscow to continue exporting oil despite 19 rounds of EU sanctions imposed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The shadow fleet comprises hundreds of ageing and often uninsured tankers that frequently change names and flags to evade sanctions. According to maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence, the global shadow fleet includes more than 1,400 vessels, with over 900 under US, British or European sanctions.

The Grinch reportedly departed from Murmansk in northern Russia and was sailing under a Comoros flag at the time of interception.

Russia’s embassy in Paris said it had not been informed in advance of the operation and was seeking to determine whether any Russian citizens were among the crew. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the move, calling it the type of action needed to curb Russian oil revenues funding the war in Ukraine.

Macron said the shadow fleet played a direct role in financing Russia’s “war of aggression” against Ukraine.

The interception follows similar actions in recent months. In October, France briefly detained another sanctioned tanker off its west coast, while the US and its allies have conducted several high-profile boardings of suspected sanctions-busting vessels in the Atlantic and Caribbean waters.