French troops have boarded the deck of a tanker alleged to be from Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ stationed off France and suspected of involvement in drone flights over Denmark last month.
A source within the executive branch, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP earlier that the French navy had boarded the Boracay, a Benin-flagged vessel blacklisted by the European Union for being part of Russia’s sanction-busting ‘shadow fleet’ of ageing oil tankers.
French President Emmanuel Macron did not confirm reports of a connection to Danish drone flights but said on Wednesday that the ship had committed ‘serious offences’.
On Tuesday the French Navy had said authorities were investigating a possible infraction by the Boracay tanker.
The vessel is listed under British and European sanctions against Russia.
It was detained by earlier this year for sailing without a valid country flag.
Shadow fleet tankers typically have opaque ownership and insurance and are often more than 20 years old.
The crude oil tanker left the Russian port of Primorsk on September 20, according to MarineTraffic data.
It sailed through the Baltic Sea and over the top of Denmark before entering the North Sea and transiting west through the Channel.
Ship tracking data shows that the 2007-built tanker was being shadowed by a French warship after it rounded France’s northwestern tip, before altering course and heading east towards the French coast.
It is currently at anchor near Saint Nazaire, it is understood.
This is a breaking story, more to follow.
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