The French navy has intercepted a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean suspected of being part of the so-called 'shadow fleet' used to circumvent international sanctions. President Emmanuel Macron announced the operation on X, stating that the vessel was boarded and searched on the high seas with support from several allies.
The tanker, identified as the Grinch, was located between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco before being diverted by French authorities. The Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture confirmed that an examination of documents after boarding raised doubts about the regularity of the ship's flag.
Macron said the activities of the shadow fleet contribute to financing Russia's 'war of aggression against Ukraine.' The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions since Russia's full-scale invasion, but Moscow continues to export oil using unregulated ageing tankers that change flags and identities.
The Russian embassy stated it had not been notified of the interception and was trying to determine if any Russian citizens were among the crew. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the action, calling for vessels to be apprehended and oil cargoes confiscated.
The interception of the Grinch is the latest in a series of actions against Russian-linked ships. In October, France detained another sanctioned tanker, the Boracay, and in recent months US and European forces have intensified efforts to disrupt the shadow fleet, which includes over 1,400 tankers according to Lloyd's List Intelligence.
