Overview
- French naval forces boarded and detained the tanker Deliver near Sicily on Thursday, escorting the ship to an anchorage while investigators review its papers.
- Authorities say the vessel came from Primorsk and flew a Cameroonian flag, and document checks raised doubts about the flag’s legality that led Marseille prosecutors to open a criminal complaint.
- The operation was carried out with British naval partners and assets from the EU mission Eunavfor Med Irini, which includes German contributions, reflecting multinational operational cooperation.
- President Emmanuel Macron posted footage of the boarding and framed the action as part of Europe’s effort to stop the so-called Russian 'shadow fleet' from financing Moscow’s war.
- France has now intercepted five suspected shadow-fleet ships, with two earlier cases fined, and officials estimate the wider network may include hundreds of vessels that rotate flags or falsify documents to hide sanctioned oil shipments.