Suspected of launching drones: Special forces seize Russian oil tanker off French coast
Illustrative photo: France seized a vessel belonging to Russia's shadow fleet on suspicion of launching drones (Getty Images)
A Russian oil tanker was detained off the coast of France. It is suspected of being linked to the Russian shadow fleet and of launching drones spotted over Denmark, Le Parisien reports.
French special forces boarded the Russian oil tanker on Saturday, September 27, in the afternoon. Later, prosecutors announced that two crew members had been taken into custody.
The tanker, part of Russia’s shadow fleet, sailed near the Danish coast from September 22 to 25.
About the vessel
Built in 2007, the 244-meter oil tanker has repeatedly changed its name and flag. It has been registered in Gabon, the Marshall Islands, and Mongolia.
In addition to European Union sanctions, the vessel is also under sanctions by Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It departed from Primorsk (Russia) on September 20 and is scheduled to arrive in Vadinar (India) on October 20.
Investigation details
The Brest prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation due to the lack of documents confirming the vessel’s nationality and flag and "refusal to comply."
"This crew committed very serious violations, which are grounds for a criminal case," said French President Emmanuel Macron.
He added that the French response teams acted promptly.
Russia’s shadow fleet
It is estimated that one in six tankers worldwide belongs to Russia’s shadow fleet, accounting for about 17% of all operational tankers globally.
At the start of 2025, analysts counted 940 ships in Russia’s shadow fleet, a 45% increase from the previous year.
Over 500 shadow fleet tankers are blacklisted by the European Union, meaning ports will not accept them and insurers will not provide coverage. Nevertheless, Russia continues to purchase vessels to replace sanctioned tankers.
Furthermore, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence reported that the Russian shadow fleet currently consists of up to 1,000 vessels with a total deadweight of over 100 million tons. These are mainly old and cheap tankers used to export oil and petroleum products.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that in September, the European Commission introduced its 19th sanctions package against Russia, which includes additional measures targeting the Russian shadow fleet.
