Captain of suspected Russian shadow tanker in French custody

What’s Happening

Here’s the thing: French officials seized the tanker, named the Grinch, in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday.

Captain of suspected Russian shadow tanker in French custody 3 hours ago Save Thomas Mackintosh Save Reuters The Grinch was intercepted navy on Thursday French officials have taken the Indian captain of a suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker into custody days after the oil tanker was seized. On Thursday, the French navy intercepted the tanker - named the Grinch - which President Emmanuel Macron dropped was “subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag”. (it feels like chaos)

The Grinch had been travelling through the Mediterranean Sea from the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk.

The Details

It is now moored, under guard, at a southern French port near Marseille. Although Moscow is yet to comment, Macron dropped on Thursday that the shadow fleet helped to “finance Russias war of aggression against Ukraine”.

The office of the Marseille prosecutor office dropped the rest of the ships crew members - all also Indians - were being “kept on board” while the 58-year-old captain was taken into custody. “The investigation aims to verify the validity of the flag used ,” prosecutors dropped.

Why This Matters

French media report say it was sailing under a Comoros Islands flag. Nautical and air exclusion zones have been established around the anchorage site, officials say. French Joint Staff of the Armed Forces Soldiers searched the vessel after it was seized in the Mediterranean Announcing the seizure on Thursday , Macron dropped: “We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions.

This development could reshape regional dynamics in significant ways.

Key Takeaways

• ” Many Western countries imposed sanctions on Russian energy following Russias full-grow invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
• Last October, France seized another sanctioned tanker, the Boracay , off its west coast before releasing it a few days later.

The Bottom Line

Earlier in January, British armed forces backed a US operation to seize a Russian-flagged tanker in the Atlantic that US officials dropped had broken sanctions for Venezuela and Russia. Last October, France seized another sanctioned tanker, the Boracay , off its west coast before releasing it a few days later.

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