The 58-year-old Indian captain of the oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet was arrested last night on charges of "sailing under a false flag", the Marseille prosecutor's office said today, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
The oil tanker "Grinch", which was found to be sailing in international waters between Spain and North Africa, was escorted to the Gulf of Fos in southern France, where it arrived late yesterday afternoon.
According to the Marseille prosecutor's office, the tanker's crew, who also consist of Indian nationals, are being held on board the vessel.
"Investigators from the investigation department of The Toulon Maritime Gendarmerie and the Marseille Vessel Safety Centre are to carry out a series of checks on board the Grinch to verify its shipping documents and the "validity of the flag", the prosecutor's office added.
The 249-metre-long tanker Grinch appears under that name on the UK's list of sanctioned Russian vessels, but is listed under the name Karl on the EU and US lists of sanctioned Russian vessels.
This is the second operation France has undertaken since it seized the Boracay tanker in September last year. It was also on the EU's list of sanctioned vessels and was intercepted by French naval commandos in the Atlantic Ocean and then diverted to the port of Saint-Nazaire.