<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/22/french-navy-intercepts-suspected-russian-shadow-fleet-tanker-mediterranean>
"The French navy has intercepted a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean
suspected to be part of the “shadow fleet” that enables Russia to export oil
despite sanctions.
“This morning, the French navy boarded and searched an oil tanker from Russia,
subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag,”
President Emmanuel Macron said on X.
“The operation was carried out on the high seas in the Mediterranean, with the
support of several of our allies,” he added, saying the vessel had been
“diverted”.
The tanker,
Grinch, is the latest in a series of Russian-linked ships to be
intercepted by the US and European powers in recent months. It was located
between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco in the
western Mediterranean and then diverted, the French maritime police said in a
separate statement.
“After the team boarded, an examination of documents confirmed the doubts as to
the regularity of the flag,” the Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture said.
The ship “is currently being escorted by the national navy to a point of
anchorage for further verifications”, it added."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
