France detains Russian-linked oil tanker near Sicily
French naval forces intercepted the Cameroon-flagged tanker 'Deliver', which Macron says is part of Russia's 'shadow fleet' used to circumvent sanctions.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France detained an oil tanker linked to Russia off the coast of Sicily earlier this week.
The vessel, named 'Deliver' and registered in Cameroon, was intercepted on Tuesday as it sailed near Sicily in violation of maritime law. Macron stated on platform X that the tanker had departed from the port of Primorsk in Russia.
According to Macron, the 'Deliver' is part of Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet' – vessels Moscow uses to bypass Western sanctions imposed after Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Shadow fleet ships often switch flags or use invalid registrations to avoid detection. The European Union has sanctioned nearly 600 vessels suspected of belonging to this fleet.
'We will not allow the shadow fleet to circumvent sanctions and finance Russia's war effort,' Macron emphasized.
Since September, France has detained four other shadow fleet vessels, including one in late May in the Atlantic Ocean with assistance from the United Kingdom and other partners.
