In a recent development in France, the French authorities seized an oil tanker accused of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” carrying Russian oil en route to India. French President Macron described this as a significant shift in Europe’s strategy to pressure Russia. It was reported that during the boarding of the vessel, there were incidents of “improper and highly aggressive behavior,” and the Chinese captain of the ship is expected to stand trial in France early next year.
President Macron emphasized that this operation marked a new strategy in Europe to disrupt Russia’s war funding and that France is adopting a “policy of obstruction.” When suspicious vessels engaged in such trafficking are found within its waters, France will take action.
“We hope to increase pressure on Russia to persuade it to return to the negotiating table,” Macron stated.
Macron believes that this oil tanker is part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” comprising old vessels of unknown ownership that frequently disable their transponders to transport Russian oil and evade Western sanctions. He estimated that the fleet consists of around 800 to 1,000 vessels.
According to Macron, Russia finances “30% to 40%” of its war effort through the income generated by the shadow fleet, amounting to “over 30 billion euros.”
“Therefore, increasing pressure on this shadow fleet is crucial because it will significantly weaken Russia’s ability to fund its war efforts,” Macron argued, suggesting that even detaining these ships for a few days or weeks could “choke off their business model.”
France’s action immediately drew a strong response from Russian President Putin.
Putin characterized the seizure as “piracy” and warned that such actions “will certainly greatly increase the risks of confrontation.” He claimed that there was “no reason at all” for the French authorities to retain the oil tanker in international waters and accused them of carrying out this act for political reasons to divert attention from domestic issues in France.
“This is an act of piracy. How do you deal with pirates? You crush them. This doesn’t mean a global war will break out on the seas tomorrow, but the risk of confrontation will certainly increase,” Putin remarked.
In response to Russia’s tough rhetoric, Macron mentioned that the French navy encountered crew members’ “improper and highly aggressive behavior” during the boarding, justifying the initiation of a judicial investigation.
Last Saturday, the French naval commandos intercepted and boarded the vessel off the western coast of France. The investigation revealed that the ship was “not flying any flags” at the time, and the crew provided “inconsistent information” about the vessel’s nationality.
The oil tanker has changed names multiple times, currently identified as “Pushpa” or “Boracay.” Previously flying the flag of Benin, it had faced sanctions from the EU and the UK for suspected involvement in Russian oil exports.
Macron mentioned that earlier this year, another vessel faced detention in Estonia due to flag-related issues.
In April, Estonian state broadcaster reported that a ship named “Kiwala,” en route to Ust-Luga port in Russia, was intercepted outside Tallinn Bay. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated on social media that the country’s navy “detained a sanctioned vessel with no flag state.”
The public prosecutor’s office in Brest, a western port city in France, is investigating the case. The captain of the ship, a Chinese national, has been indicted on charges of refusal to cooperate, with his hearing scheduled for February 23 next year. The captain faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of €150,000 (approximately $176,000). The prosecutor’s office mentioned that the captain and the chief officer were detained on Tuesday, but the chief officer has been released.
Moreover, Macron also mentioned that it cannot be ruled out that the vessel engaged in drone flight activities in Danish airspace last week when navigating in the waters off the coast of a Nordic country.
During the voyage from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, the vessel sailed along a route where Danish airports had to be closed due to drone activity. According to maritime website The Maritime Executive, the 801-foot-long ship is suspected to have been involved in drone flights over Danish airspace. The media speculated that this oil tanker and other vessels could have been used as launch platforms or decoys.
Two trade sources familiar with shipping data informed Reuters that on September 20, the vessel loaded 100,000 tons of Urals crude supplied by the Russian state-owned company Rosneft at Primorsk port in Russia, with its destination set for Vadinar port in India. Vadinar port houses a refinery owned by Indian company Nayara Energy.