French President Emmanuel Macron said the French navy had boarded the oil tanker Tagor, which is under international sanctions and was en route from Russia, on the 31st f May, Reuters reported.
Macron said the operation took place in international waters in the Atlantic Ocean, with support from several countries, including Britain. The tanker was seized in accordance with international maritime law. The French president added that it was “absolutely unacceptable” for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate maritime law and help finance Moscow’s war in Ukraine for more than four years.
The Atlantic Maritime Prefecture said in a separate statement on the 1st of June that the fleet had seized the ship about 740 kilometers west of Great Britain, and it was en route from Murmansk in Russia.
The operation was reportedly aimed at verifying the ship’s ownership, as it was sailing under a false flag:
“After the inspection team boarded the vessel, an examination of the documents confirmed suspicions regarding the irregularity of the flag flown. In accordance with international law and at the request of the public prosecutor, the vessel was diverted.” The prefecture did not name the ship.
Both France and Britain have vowed to seize Moscow’s shadow fleet ships attempting to pass through their waters. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced in March that he had given the British navy the authority to seize shadow fleet ships. Despite this, ship navigation data shows that dozens of sanctioned ships are passing through British waters.
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