Overview
- French naval commandos boarded the tanker Deliver while it transited near Sicily, with the operation taking place on Tuesday and Macron announcing the action on June 25.
- Boarding teams said the Deliver flew a Cameroonian flag, sailed from the Russian port of Primorsk, and that inspectors found doubts about the legal use of that flag.
- France carried out the inspection under Article 110 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which allows warships to verify a ship’s nationality when papers appear irregular.
- The action follows recent UK and French interdictions, including the Smyrtos and Tagor operations, and London is reportedly considering selling seized oil from Smyrtos to fund Ukraine.
- Officials warn the shadow fleet includes hundreds of aging, opaque tankers that raise sanctions‑evasion and environmental risks, and Moscow has condemned the interdictions and signalled legal countermeasures.