The French Navy intercepts the sanctioned Russian tanker Tagor over flag irregularities, as Macron vows unwavering resolve in dealing with Moscow.
That makes four...
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The French Navy seized another oil tanker under international sanctions on Sunday morning, sailing from Russia : the Tagor.
According to Emmanuel Macron, who also posted a short video of the operation on X, "this intervention was carried out in the Atlantic, on the high seas, with the support of several partners including the United Kingdom, in strict compliance with the law of the sea."
These vessels, which fail to comply with the most basic rules of maritime navigation, "also pose a threat to the environment and to everyone’s safety", the French president insisted.
"It is unacceptable that ships circumvent international sanctions, breach the law of the sea and finance the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years," the French head of state said on his X account, before concluding: "Our determination is unwavering and absolute."
The tanker, which departed from Murmansk, was seized off the coast of Brest, the Atlantic maritime prefect said in a statement. After an inspection on board, the French Navy noted an "irregularity concerning its flag", suspecting it of "flying a false flag". "A report has been submitted to the Brest public prosecutor" and the ship has been diverted "to an anchorage point for further checks", the prefect added.
Since September, France has seized three other vessels suspected of belonging to the Russian "shadow fleet". These ships were allowed to set sail again after their owners paid fines.
The Moscow regime uses these ageing tankers, with opaque ownership structures, to circumvent Western sanctions on its oil exports, which help to finance the Kremlin’s war machine, notably, for more than four years now, in Ukraine.
Ships in the "shadow fleet" frequently change flag, or use invalid registrations in an attempt to avoid detection.
Several Western countries have imposed sanctions on hundreds of ships in the Russian "shadow fleet" following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Nearly 600 vessels suspected of belonging to the Russian "shadow fleet" are subject to European Union sanctions.