The French Navy has released video footage showing the interception, boarding, and seizure of the tanker Grinch, a vessel linked to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.”
According to French authorities, the operation was carried out in the western Mediterranean near the Strait of Gibraltar. President Emmanuel Macron was the first to announce the seizure, stating that the tanker was “subject to international sanctions” and suspected of sailing under a false flag.
Allied forces also participated in the operation, including units from the United Kingdom. French maritime authorities said inspections of the vessel “confirmed doubts regarding the legality of its flag.”
The Russian Embassy in Paris said it had not been informed of the tanker’s seizure.
French officials reported that the ship departed from the Arctic port of Murmansk in northern Russia before being stopped. According to vessel-tracking websites MarineTraffic and VesselFinder, the tanker was flying the flag of the Comoros at the time of interception.
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