France has seized an oil tanker in the Mediterranean suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” a clandestine network used to evade Western sanctions on Russian oil exports. The vessel, named the Grinch, was intercepted by the French navy with allied support between Spain and Morocco. French authorities confirmed suspicions about the vessel’s flag regularity after boarding.
The French navy, with assistance from allies including the UK, boarded the Grinch on Thursday morning. French maritime authorities stated that an examination of the vessel’s documents confirmed doubts regarding the regularity of its flag. The tanker was traveling from the Arctic port of Murmansk in northern Russia and was reportedly flying a Comoros flag, according to ship tracking websites.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the seizure on social media, emphasizing France’s determination to uphold international law and enforce sanctions. He stated that the activities of the “shadow fleet” contribute to financing Russia’s war against Ukraine. The UK’s Defence Secretary, John Healey, confirmed that the UK navy provided tracking and monitoring support, highlighting a joint effort to “choke off the funds that fuel Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the action, calling it “exactly the kind of resolve needed” to prevent Russian oil from financing the war. He suggested that such vessels should be apprehended and their oil confiscated and sold.
Russia’s “shadow fleet” is a network of aging tankers with obscure ownership and insurance, used to circumvent Western sanctions on Russian oil exports. Many Western countries imposed sanctions on Russian energy following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Financial intelligence firms estimate that a significant portion of oil tankers worldwide are used to smuggle oil from sanctioned countries.
This is not the first such incident. In October, France seized another sanctioned tanker, the Boracay, though it was released a few days later. Earlier in January, British armed forces supported a US operation to seize a Russian-flagged tanker in the Atlantic suspected of carrying oil for Venezuela and Russia.
Russia’s embassy in Paris stated that it had not been informed of the seizure. Moscow has previously denounced such actions, asserting that no state has the right to use force against vessels properly registered in other states’ jurisdictions.