France seizes oil tanker in Mediterranean sailing from Russia: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron says vas taxable to planetary sanctions, suspected of ‘flying mendacious flag’.

The French Navy has intercepted a tanker successful the Mediterranean that officials allege belongs to Russia’s alleged “shadow fleet”, designed to evade planetary sanctions.

In a connection shared connected societal media connected Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the lipid tanker was “coming from Russia, taxable to planetary sanctions and suspected of flying a mendacious flag”.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Rogue tankers disconnected Singapore: What are shadiness fleets and who uses them?
• list 2 of 3Why is Russia escalating attacks connected Ukraine’s Odesa?
• list 3 of 3US seizes Venezuela-linked Russian lipid tanker

“The cognition was conducted connected the precocious seas successful the Mediterranean, with the enactment of respective of our allies. It was carried retired successful strict compliance with the United Nations Convention connected the Law of the Sea,” Macron said.

He added that the vas was diverted and that an probe has been launched.

Local maritime authorities said the navy seized an lipid tanker called “Grinch” betwixt Spain and Morocco.

The interception comes arsenic the European Union has imposed much than a twelve sanctions packages against Russia successful effect to the country’s 2022 full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

But Moscow continues to merchantability millions of barrels of lipid to different countries specified arsenic China and India, typically astatine discounted prices, contempt the economical curbs.

Much of the lipid is carried by a “shadow fleet” of vessels operating extracurricular of the Western maritime industry.

A November study from the Helsinki-based Centre for Research connected Energy and Clean Air recovered that more than 100 Russian vessels flew a mendacious emblem successful the archetypal 9 months of 2025, transporting astir 11 cardinal tonnes of lipid valued astatine 4.7 cardinal euros ($5.5bn).

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked his French counterpart Macron for intercepting the vessel.

“This is precisely the benignant of resoluteness needed to guarantee that Russian lipid nary longer finances Russia’s war,” Zelenskyy wrote connected societal media. “Russian tankers operating adjacent European shores indispensable beryllium stopped.”

The Russian embassy successful France said it was not notified astir the interception, Russian quality bureau TASS reported.

“At the moment, unneurotic with diplomats from the Consulate General successful Marseille, we are trying to find retired whether determination are immoderate Russian citizens among the unit members successful bid to supply the indispensable assistance,” the embassy said.