On the morning of January 22, the French Navy detained an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea en route from Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron announced.
The tanker in question is part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, which is subject to international sanctions and is suspected of flying a false flag. The vessel was detained in international waters.
Macron noted that the operation was carried out in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea with the assistance of several of France’s allies.
French authorities clarified that the tanker detained was the Grinch, which had departed from Murmansk. The vessel flies the flag of the Comoros Islands.