The Russian embassy in Paris has described the detention of the oil tanker “DF Peak“ by French authorities as a “gross violation of international law“. The diplomatic mission called the actions “piracy“ and said it was checking whether there are Russian citizens among the crew members.
“We are trying to establish whether there are Russian citizens among the crew members“, the Russian embassy said, quoted by Reuters via the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Moscow also claims that France did not notify the Russian side in advance of the seizure of the ship.
The operation was carried out near Reunion Island
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the country's naval forces had intercepted the tanker and boarded it 450 nautical miles south of Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
According to the French president, the operation is part of the actions against the Russian „shadow fleet“ – a network of tankers that Western countries say are being used to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil.
Macron said France remained determined to counter the “shadow fleet“ anywhere in the world. He described the operation as being carried out in accordance with international maritime law.
Various assessments of France's actions
The French authorities have presented the boarding as an operation against a ship suspected of using a false flag and participating in the illegal transport of oil. The Russian embassy disputes this position and calls the detention illegal.
There is currently no publicly confirmed information on the nationality of all crew members, the ship's cargo or any legal action taken against them. No details have been provided about the next steps in the case.
Sources: bta.bg, malaysia.news.yahoo.com, euronews.com