French police have detained the captain and first mate of the sanctioned tanker Bocaray, believed to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet, after boarding it, Reuters reports.
There have been suggestions that the vessel is linked to drones spotted in Denmark that have temporarily closed several airports. According to ship traffic monitoring website MarineTraffic, the Boracay was about 90 kilometres south of Copenhagen on the 22nd of September. On the evening of the 24th of September, it was moving along the west coast of Denmark, when drones were spotted at several airports.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu thanked the French navy for helping to make the arrests on board the Boracay. Brest prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger said in an official statement that the two detained individuals identified themselves as the ship’s captain and first mate.
They are accused of failing to comply with demands and failing to provide evidence of the ship’s origin.
French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed the investigation, saying that Russia’s shadow fleet consists of 600 to 1,000 ships; however, French authorities have not provided further details about the investigation.
According to MarineTraffic, the Bocaray left the port of Primorsk on the 20th of September. Neither French nor Danish authorities have commented further on whether the investigation is related to the drones seen in Denmark. Macron said on the 2nd of October that it was important to fully understand what happened in Denmark, adding that the shadow fleet was an essential part of Moscow’s business model and needed to be pressured.
The Kremlin said on the 1st of October that it had no information about the ship, but said the Russian military should take action to restore order if other countries take provocative actions.
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