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french navy One of them has been blocked Russiaof Sanctioned “shadow fleet” oil tankers exist Mediterranean With help from the UK.
Emmanuel Macron It has been revealed that French troops with Allied support boarded a ship this morning. The ship is subject to international sanctions Suspected of operating under false bannerhe said.
“We are determined to uphold international law and ensure the effective implementation of sanctions,” the French president wrote on social media. “The activities of the ‘Shadow Fleet’ help finance the war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Local authorities said in a statement that the freighter “Grinch” was intercepted in the Alboran Sea east of Gibraltar with help from the United Kingdom.
British Defense Secretary John Healy said the UK had provided support to track the tanker, and the patrol ship “Dagger” monitored the tanker through the Strait of Gibraltar.
“We are working with our allies to intensify our response to shadow vessels to cut off funding for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine,” Healey said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the seizure and urged sanctions against the fleet’s wider institutions.
“This is exactly the determination needed to ensure that Russian oil no longer funds Russia’s wars,” he said. “Russian oil tankers operating off European coasts must be stopped.
“Sanctions must be severe on the entire infrastructure of the Shadow Fleet. The ships must be arrested. Wouldn’t it be fair to seize and sell the oil carried by these tankers?”
Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of using a so-called “shadow fleet” of aging ships to export large quantities of crude oil in defiance of sanctions.
French authorities said they intercepted the Grinch to verify its identity and confirmed their suspicions after reading documents on the ship.
This afternoon the vessel was transferred by the French navy and escorted to the anchorage for further investigation.
Toulon’s maritime authority said it had submitted a report to the Marseille prosecutor, who has jurisdiction over the maritime courts.
Earlier this month, British troops supported a US-led mission to intercept the Marinella, a Russian-flagged oil tanker.
Experts say there may be more than 400 such ships flying false flags, and Ukraine’s allies are working to address the problem.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said earlier this month that Britain was ready to work with European partners to intercept the ships and promised to do more to “tighten the blockade of the fleet.”
“We will be looking at a number of ways to increase pressure on Russia’s shadow fleet,” she told the BBC. “We are prepared to take stronger enforcement measures and take a more decisive and forceful approach so that we do not allow sailings to turn into acts of sabotage,” she added.
To date, no British military personnel have boarded any such vessel.
The government has now reportedly found legal basis to allow British forces to board and seize Shadow Fleet ships under the Sanctions and Money Laundering Act 2018.
It is unclear what role Britain played in today’s interception of the tanker. independent The Department of Defense was contacted for comment.