In France, law enforcement officers have detained two senior crew members of a Russian shadow fleet tanker suspected of involvement in launching drones over Denmark.
This is reported by Le Monde, citing the prosecutorʼs office.
The ship, renamed Boracay, previously known as Pushpa, was stopped off the French west coast in late September.
According to the prosecutor of the city of Brest, on October 1, law enforcement officers began an investigation due to "lack of confirmation of the vesselʼs belonging to a specific country" and refusal to comply with the demands of the French authorities.
Two crew members were taken into custody — they introduced themselves as the shipʼs captain and his first mate.
The detention of the crew members was confirmed by French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
“Thank you to our Marines and Navy crews who boarded a Russian ʼghost fleet’ oil tanker this weekend, currently anchored off Saint-Nazaire, as part of a flag investigation. Their actions contributed to the arrest of two crew members of the vessel,” he wrote in H.
President Emmanuel Macron previously said France was investigating the ship for “serious violations”. However, he did not confirm reports of a connection to the drone flights in Denmark.
What is known about the Russian shadow fleet?
In early December 2022, the G7 members, as well as Australia and the EU, imposed price caps on Russian oil, setting a maximum price of $60 per barrel. From February 5, 2023, these countries imposed price caps on Russian petroleum products: $100 for diesel fuel, $45 for various lubricants.
To circumvent oil sanctions, Russia has begun building a shadow fleet. This is a fleet of old tankers that turn off their beacons so they cannot be seen by surveillance systems. These tankers are mostly operated by the Russian state-owned company “Sovcomflot”.
According to The Guardian’s September 2023 estimates, Russia’s shadow fleet consists of approximately 600 vessels, providing 70% of Russia’s oil exports and approximately 10% of the world’s “wet cargo” fleet. With its help, the Russian Federation transports almost 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, which brings large profits to the Kremlin.
In the EUʼs 18th sanctions package, adopted on July 18 this year, the bloc lowered the price of Russian oil to $45 per barrel. The United Kingdom also joined the decision.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.