The French navy has seized the oil tanker 'DF Peak' more than 450 nautical miles south of Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The ship is suspected of flying a false flag and is involved in illegal fuel trafficking.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the operation and said: 'France is determined to fight the shadow fleet'. According to him, the tanker was seized by French naval forces in the area south of the French territory of Reunion.
Flag check and escort
The ship is flying the flag of Benin and is on the European Union sanctions list. Since June 25, 2024, when it was named “Kaliningrad“, the tanker has been suspected of belonging to the Russian shadow fleet — a network of ships used to circumvent Western sanctions and restrictions on the export of Russian hydrocarbons.
“The inspection of the documents by the inspection team after boarding confirmed the suspicions regarding the irregularities in the flag under which the ship is flying“, the French General Staff of the Armed Forces reported. After the inspection, the tanker was diverted from its course and escorted by French naval forces.
The European sanctions list includes more than 700 ships. According to information cited by Agence France-Presse, the suspected vessels sometimes change their names or flags to avoid inspections.
The detention comes amid a dispute over Russian diesel
The case comes amid disagreements in Europe over sanctions against Moscow. US President Donald Trump has announced arrangements for the supply of large quantities of Russian diesel to the US and world markets after sanctions against Russia were lifted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the decision as “unworthy”. The head of European diplomacy, Kaia Kallas, has stated that the lifting of sanctions on Russian diesel contributes to the financing of the war against Ukraine.
In parallel, Trump has announced an energy truce between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky, however, claims that it is not being respected and that on Monday Russian strikes hit six energy facilities in Ukraine.
Sources: bta.bg