French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that France and allies had seized a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend.
In a post on X, he said, a Russian tanker named ‘the Tagor’ was seized on Sunday morning in international waters with the assistance of the UK and other partners.
Macron added, “It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than 4 years.”
Since last September, France has intercepted three other vessels believed to belong to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” before allowing them to continue sailing after their owners paid fines.
These “shadow fleet” vessels often change their flags or use invalid registration data in an attempt to avoid being tracked.
EU countries have imposed sanctions on hundreds of ships believed to be part of the shadow fleet following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Approximately 600 such ships are subject to EU sanctions. (EIR)
