France seizes suspected Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker in Mediterranean

France said it had seized an oil tanker in the Mediterranean suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” for violating sanctions.

French President Macron said that the oil tanker named “Grinch” “is subject to international sanctions and is suspected of flying a false flag.”

The French navy, with the help of allies including Britain, boarded the ship on Thursday morning, which was traveling between Spain and Morocco. French maritime authorities said a search of the ship “confirmed suspicions” that the flag was normal.

The Russian Embassy in Paris said it had not been informed of the seizure.

Moscow’s so-called Shadow Fleet is a clandestine tanker network used to transport oil on older tankers of unknown ownership or insurance to evade Western sanctions on Russian oil exports.

French authorities said the Grinch was sailing from the Arctic port of Murmansk in northern Russia when it was intercepted. The ship flew the Comoros flag, according to ship tracking websites MarineTraffic and Vesselfinder.

Announcing the seizure of X, Macron said: “We are determined to uphold international law and ensure the effective implementation of sanctions.

“The activities of the ‘Shadow Fleet’ help finance the war of aggression against Ukraine,” he said, adding that the ship had been “moved”.

Defense Secretary John Healey said the British navy was providing “tracking and surveillance” support, with HMS Dagger monitoring the tanker through the Strait of Gibraltar.

“We are working with our allies to intensify our response to shadow vessels to cut off the channels that fund Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine,” he added.

The UK imposed sanctions on 544 Russian shadow fleet ships.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the move, saying it was “exactly the determination needed to ensure that Russian oil no longer funds Russia’s wars.”

“The ships must be seized. Wouldn’t it be fair to seize and sell the oil these tankers are carrying?” he said on X.

Speaking earlier in Davos, Zelensky urged Europe to do more to ensure its own security, saying: “Europe likes to discuss the future but avoids taking action.”

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many Western countries imposed sanctions on Russian energy.

In early January, the British Armed Forces supported US seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker in Atlantic Ocean U.S. officials said the company violated sanctions by shipping oil to Venezuela and Russia.

Moscow condemned the move, saying no country had the right to use force against ships that were properly registered within the jurisdiction of other countries.

Last October, France seized another sanctioned oil tanker, the Boracay, off its west coast, only to release it days later.

Shadow fleets are becoming increasingly common, with Venezuela, Iran and Russia all accused of using them to evade oil sanctions.

Financial intelligence firm S&P Global estimates that one in five tankers worldwide is used to smuggle oil from sanctioned countries.