French navy intercepts Russian tanker suspected of shadow fleet operations
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The French navy has seized a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea suspected of operating as part of Moscow’s shadow fleet, a network of false-flag ships used to export oil and evade Western sanctions, according to reports.
French forces boarded and searched the tanker, which is subject to international sanctions, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.
The ship reportedly sailed from Murmansk in northern Russia under the Comoros flag.
Writing about X, Macron said that the operation took place in the high seas of the Mediterranean with the support of many allied countries.
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The French president added that the ship was diverted for further checks.
French maritime police said the tanker, identified as Grinch, was stopped in the western Mediterranean between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco.
Associated Press reported the intervention.
France and Britain collected and shared intelligence about the ship, according to French military officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
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An international operation intercepted the Russian shadow fleet tanker The Grinch in the Mediterranean. (Etat Major des Armees / AP)
The interception was the latest in a string of Russia-linked ships stopped by US and European authorities in recent months as Western powers intensify efforts to block Russia’s oil exports.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital in early January US forces Another sanctioned tanker was seized in the Atlantic Ocean.
US European Command (EUCOM) announced that the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker was seized in the North Atlantic Sea.
France’s Mediterranean Maritime Region, meanwhile, said the team that boarded the Grinch on Thursday inspected the ship and decided that the documents raised doubts about the regularity of the ship’s flag.
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Russian oil tanker was stopped between Spain and Morocco. (Etat Major des Armees)
The tanker is being taken to anchorage by the French navy for additional verification.
The European Union has imposed 19 rounds of sanctions on Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Despite these measures, Russia continued to export millions of barrels of oil, often at discounted prices, primarily to China and India.
Known as the “shadow fleet”, the fleet consists of hundreds of old and poorly inspected tankers that have changed their names, ownership structures and flags to avoid detection and sanctions.
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy embrace after signing an agreement at Villacoublay air base near Paris on Monday, November 17, 2025. (Christophe Ena/AP Photo, Pool)
Shipping data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence estimates the global shadow fleet consists of around 1,400 tankers; many of these are subject to US, UK or European sanctions. Reuters reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized European countries for not doing more to stop the transportation of Russian oil by sanctioned ships, saying it was helping finance the war in Ukraine.
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“Why could it be [U.S. President Donald Trump] “Can’t Europe do this while stopping the tankers of the ‘shadow fleet’ and seizing their oil?” Zelensky said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday.
“Russian oil is transported along the European coast. This oil finances the war against Ukraine. This oil helps destabilize Europe,” Zelenskyy said.
