The tanker flies the Mozambican flag after sailing from Murmansk in Russia.

The interception took place in the Western Mediterranean and was carried out in cooperation with allies, including the United Kingdom, which monitored the ship.

PARIS (AP) — On Friday, the French Navy intercepted and boarded a tanker in the Mediterranean Sea that President Emmanuel Macron said is linked to Russia's shadow fleet of sanctioned ships shipping oil in violation of international sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine. The French maritime authorities for the Mediterranean have stated that the tanker Deyna (IMO 9299903, MMSI 650000121 - sailing under the flag of Mozambique.  ) is suspected of operating under a false flag designation.

The interception took place in the Western Mediterranean 

The authorities said that the interception took place in the Western Mediterranean in cooperation with allies, including the United Kingdom, who monitored the ship. The aim of this operation was to verify the nationality of the vessel,' which was flying the flag of Mozambique and coming from the Russian port of Murmansk, the maritime authorities said in a statement.

The Deyna a "shadow fleet" vessel.

Related : A suspected Russian "shadow fleet" tanker was seized in the North Sea

They said that the documents found on board "confirmed doubts about the validity of the flag".The tanker was diverted and escorted by the French Navy to an anchorage point for further checks. The case was then referred to a prosecutor in the port of Marseille, according to the statement. In a post on X, Macron called the Deyna a "shadow fleet" vessel.

Sanctions are being circumvented by these vessels.

“These vessels are war profiteers, circumventing international sanctions and violating the law of the sea. They seek to generate profits to finance Russia’s war effort," said Macron. 'We won't let this happen.'It is believed that Russia is using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade sanctions over its war against Ukraine. France and other countries have vowed to crack down.

Previous attempts by Russian shadow ships.

In January, the French navy intercepted an oil tanker sailing from Russia in the Mediterranean. The vessel was released last month after paying a penalty of several million euros. In September, French naval forces boarded another oil tanker off the coast of France that Macron also linked to the shadow fleet.

 Meanwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the interception as an act of piracy.

Strategic Challenges

On the other hand the conference, occurring for the fourth successive year, was hosted again by the French Navy and IFRI (France’s international relations institute). The discussions encompassed the changing nature of naval operations and combat, set against the backdrop of a deteriorating strategic and security environment including challenges to the long-established rules-based order.

#French Navy #port of Marseille #French naval forces #Russia #Shadow vessel #tanker Deyna # French maritime authorities #IFRI