France Detains Second Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker Since The Beginning Of The Year

The ship was traveling under the flag of Mozambique from the port of Murmansk.

French naval forces detained the tanker Deyna, which belongs to the Russian shadow fleet, in the Mediterranean Sea on the morning of March 20, President Emmanuel Macron said in X. "We continue on the course we have set out," the French leader emphasized. - The war in Iran will not distract France from supporting Ukraine, which is under attack by Russia. These ships, which circumvent international sanctions and violate the law of the sea, are profiting from the war and financing Russia's military action. We will not allow this to happen."

Deyna was flying the flag of Mozambique from the port of Murmansk and was suspected by French authorities of using a false flag, French officials told Reuters. The operation, according to the French Mediterranean prefecture, was carried out jointly with British allies.

This is the second detention of Russian oil tankers in a week - the previous time the Sea Owl, which was traveling from Brazil to Primorsk, was stopped by Sweden - and the second such incident involving the French navy since the beginning of the year.

In late January, the French Navy also detained the sub-sanctioned oil tanker Grinch, which was traveling from Russia, in the Mediterranean Sea, Macron reported. The detention of the vessel was carried out with the support of allies, particularly Britain, which provided intelligence that allowed the interception of the transport. Euronews reported that the tanker was flying the flag of the Comoros Islands and its crew consisted of Indian nationals. The vessel was suspected of sailing under a false flag.

French authorities then arrested the captain of the Grinch, a 58-year-old Indian national, and the tanker was handed over to the Marseille prosecutor's office. The vessel was not released until mid-February, after three weeks of idle time and after paying a fine of "several million euros," the country's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said.

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