Overview
- French naval commandos boarded the 249‑meter tanker by helicopter in international waters of the Alboran Sea with assistance from allied partners, including the United Kingdom.
- The ship is anchored in the Golfe de Fos near Marseille-Fos under Navy and gendarmerie guard, with defined nautical and aerial exclusion zones to secure the site.
- The Marseille prosecutor has opened a preliminary investigation for défaut de pavillon, and maritime gendarmerie and port security teams are conducting onboard document checks.
- The captain, an Indian national, was placed in police custody on Saturday night, and the crew remains under movement restrictions aboard pending interviews.
- The vessel appears on sanctions lists as Grinch in the UK and Carl in EU and US listings, and this marks France’s second such seizure after the Boracay case in September.