France detains captain of Russian shadow tanker Grinch
Illustrative photo: France detains the captain of the Russian shadow fleet tanker Grinch (Getty Images)
The Marseille prosecutor’s office has taken into custody the captain of the Russian shadow fleet tanker Grinch intercepted by France on January 22, BFMTV reports.
Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Besson announced that the Indian-born captain of the oil tanker Grinch, suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet, was detained late at night, on January 24.
The vessel has been placed under the authority of the Marseille prosecutor's office. The tanker captain and crew are expected to be questioned.
According to a media release from the prosecutor's office, a preliminary investigation started on January 22. It was assigned to the Maritime Gendarmerie's investigative unit in Toulon, in cooperation with the Ship Safety Center in Marseille.
On January 22, France detained a Russian tanker belonging to Russia's shadow fleet.
The sanctioned vessel Grinch, under the flag of the Comoros Islands, departed Russia's port of Murmansk in early January.
Crackdown on Russia's shadow fleet
Earlier, Germany denied access to the Baltic Sea to a tanker linked to Russia's shadow fleet. The vessel drew analysts' attention for an unusual route: while heading toward a Russian port to load cargo, the tanker suddenly veered from its course toward the Baltic Sea, then turned around and changed direction.
Reuters notes that this marked the first recorded case of a European country denying a shadow fleet vessel access to the Baltic Sea.
