France detains Russian-linked oil tanker near Sicily in Mediterranean sea, says Macron

A Russian-based oil tanker off the coast of Sicily was detained by France earlier this week, President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Thursday. The maritime officials also claimed that the vessel, which was flying the Cameroonian flag and sailing from Primorsk in Russia, was being transported by the French navy to an anchorage for further access.

"On Tuesday, the French navy boarded the oil tanker Deliver as it was passing off the coast of Sicily in breach of the law of the sea," Macron said on social media platform X. Macron stated that the Deliver was connected with Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet", utilised to cover up Western sanctions imposed after Russia launched an invasion against Ukraine in 2022.

He added, “This latest action against the shadow fleet, conducted just days after a similar operation by the United Kingdom, illustrates the resolve of the Europeans. We will not allow the shadow fleet to evade sanctions and fund Russia's war effort. Europe is determined.”

Flag-hopping

These ships often switch the national flags under which they operate, a tactic known as "flag-hopping", or sail with questionable or invalid registrations to avoid detection and monitoring. "We will not allow the 'shadow fleet' to circumvent sanctions and finance Russia's war effort," Macron said.

Since September, French authorities have inspected four other vessels suspected of being linked to Russia's so-called "shadow fleet", including one intercepted in the Atlantic Ocean in late May with support from Britain and other allied partners. In response to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, several Western nations have sanctioned hundreds of vessels believed to be part of this covert shipping network. The European Union has imposed sanctions on nearly 600 ships suspected of operating within Russia's "shadow fleet".