France says it has seized an oil tanker in the Mediterranean suspected of being part of Russia's sanction-busting 'shadow fleet'.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the tanker, named the Grinch, was 'subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag'.
The French navy, with assistance from allies including the UK, boarded the vessel on Thursday morning between Spain and Morocco. French maritime authorities confirmed that a search of the vessel raised doubts about the legitimacy of its flag.
Russia's embassy in Paris has reportedly not been informed about the seizure.
The 'shadow fleet' refers to a clandestine network of tankers used to evade Western sanctions placed on Russian oil exports, often by using aged vessels with obscure ownership or insurance.
The Grinch was traveling from the Arctic port of Murmansk in northern Russia when it was intercepted. The vessel had been flying a Comoros flag, according to ship tracking websites.
Macron announced the seizure on social media platform X, stating: 'We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions.' He added that the activities of the shadow fleet contribute to financing the war of aggression against Ukraine.
UK Defence Secretary John Healy mentioned that the UK navy played a key role in tracking and monitoring the tanker, with HMS Dagger observing it through the Straits of Gibraltar.
He emphasized that alongside our allies, they are intensifying efforts to intercept shadow vessels to cut off funding for Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. The UK has imposed sanctions on 544 vessels associated with Russia's shadow fleet.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the action, stating it reflects the required resolve to cease funds from Russian oil financing the war. He suggested that vessels should be captured and that the oil carried by such tankers should be confiscated and sold.
Zelensky, while speaking at Davos, urged European leaders to take more decisive actions to enhance security amidst ongoing threats.
Sanctions on Russian energy began proliferating after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Earlier this month, British armed forces supported a US operation to capture a Russian-flagged tanker in the Atlantic that was alleged to have breached sanctions by transporting oil on behalf of Venezuela and Russia.
Moscow denounced the seizure, arguing that no state has the right to utilize force against vessels properly registered under other nations' jurisdictions.
In October, France had also seized a sanctioned tanker named the Boracay off its coast, later releasing it a few days after. Shadow fleets are increasingly being identified, with Venezuela, Iran, and Russia implicated in using these tactics to evade sanctions on oil.
A report from financial intelligence firm S&P Global estimates that nearly one in five oil tankers worldwide may be involved in smuggling oil from countries facing sanctions.
