France has detained a Russia-linked oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend, marking the latest move in its efforts to combat Moscow's alleged "shadow fleet" used to circumvent Western sanctions. The Kremlin has denounced the seizure, labeling it "international piracy."
The tanker, identified as the Tagor, was intercepted on Sunday morning in international waters with the assistance of Britain and other partners after its captain reportedly refused to comply with orders. French authorities stated the vessel was en route from Murmansk, Russia, and was falsely flying a Cameroonian flag, heading towards Limbe, Cameroon. Prosecutors indicated that seizing control of the vessel became necessary due to doubts regarding the legitimacy of its flag and the captain's non-compliance.
The Tagor is reportedly linked to petroleum shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, according to open-source database Opensanctions.org. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the circumvention of international sanctions and the violation of maritime law, stating it was unacceptable for ships to fund Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine. The French navy is escorting the vessel to an anchorage point for further inspection.
The Russian embassy in France stated it had requested information about the crew composition but had not received notifications from French authorities regarding the actions taken against the tanker. The Tagor has previously flown flags from Madagascar, the Marshall Islands, and Panama. A criminal investigation has been launched concerning the failure to establish the vessel's nationality, the absence of a valid flag, and the refusal to comply with directives.
French maritime officials described the Tagor as a tracked vessel already subject to European Union and United States sanctions. The interception and diversion were aimed at verifying the validity of its flag. Vessels belonging to the shadow fleet frequently engage in "flag-hopping" or utilize invalid registrations to evade detection. Since September, France has intercepted three other ships suspected of being part of this fleet, allowing them to depart after owners paid fines.
In response to such practices, France announced in April plans to increase penalties for vessels that fail to fly a proper flag or refuse to comply with regulations. Approximately 600 ships suspected of belonging to Russia's shadow fleet are currently subject to EU sanctions, imposed in response to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
