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The French Navy has intercepted a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea on suspicion of operating as part of Moscow’s shadow fleet, a network of false-flag vessels used to export oil and evade Western sanctions, according to reports.
President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that French forces had boarded and searched the tanker, which is under international sanctions.
The ship was reportedly sailing from Murmansk in northern Russia under the flag of Comoros.
Writing on X, Macron said the operation took place on the high seas in the Mediterranean Sea with the support of several allied countries.
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The French president said the ship had been diverted for further investigation.
French maritime police said the tanker, identified as the Grinch, was stopped between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco in the western Mediterranean Sea.
The Associated Press reported the interception.
France and the UK collected and shared intelligence on the ship, according to French military officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
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An international operation intercepted a Russian shadow fleet tanker named Grinch in the Mediterranean Sea. (État Major des Armées/AP)
The interception is the latest in a growing number of Russia-linked vessels stopped by US and European authorities in recent months as Western powers step up efforts to disrupt Russia’s oil exports.
As first reported by Fox News Digital in early January, us Army Another sanctioned tanker seized in the Atlantic Ocean.
The US European Command (EUCOM) announced the seizure of the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker in the North Atlantic Sea.
France’s Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture said the team that boarded the Grinch on Thursday inspected the ship and determined that the documents raised doubts about the regularity of the ship’s flag.
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Russian oil tanker stopped between Spain and Morocco. (État Major des Armées)
The tanker is being towed to an anchorage by the French Navy for additional verification.
The EU has imposed 19 rounds of sanctions on Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Despite those measures, Russia has continued to export millions of barrels of oil, primarily to China and India, and often at discounted prices.
What is known as the “shadow fleet” consists of hundreds of older and poorly regulated tankers that change names, ownership structures and flags to avoid detection and sanctions.
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky embrace after signing an agreement at Villacoubille airport near Paris on November 17, 2025. (Christophe Ena/AP Photo, Pool)
Maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence estimates there are about 1,400 tankers in the global shadow fleet, many of which are subject to US, British or European sanctions, Reuters reports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized European countries for not doing more to stop the transportation of Russian oil using sanctioned ships that he says helps finance the war in Ukraine.
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“Why can [U.S. President Donald Trump] Stop ‘shadow fleet’ tankers and seize their oil, when Europe can’t do that?” Zelensky asked at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday.
“Russian oil is transported directly along the European coast. This oil finances the war against Ukraine. This oil helps destabilize Europe.”
