France Fines Owner of Detained Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker €1 Million
The owner of the Russian shadow fleet tanker Tagor, detained by France in late May, has been fined €1 million for lacking a flag and failing to comply with authorities. The vessel was allowed to leave French waters after the owner admitted guilt.
French authorities have imposed a €1 million fine on the owner of the Russian shadow fleet tanker Tagor, which was detained by the French Navy in the Atlantic Ocean on May 31 with support from the United Kingdom.
The penalty was for the absence of a flag and non-compliance with official requests. The owner, a company registered in the Marshall Islands, admitted guilt, allowing the tanker to leave French territorial waters. The owner has committed to obtaining a new, legal flag as soon as possible.
The prosecutor's office did not disclose the company's name, but according to Equasis data, the current owner is Zulu Ships Management, based in the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. Treasury has linked this firm to Mohamad Hussein Shahmani, the son of Iranian Admiral Ali Shahmani, who was involved in sanction evasion networks.
Russia uses a "shadow fleet" — often aging ships flying foreign flags — to bypass sanctions on its oil exports. France estimates this fleet consists of 800 to 1,000 vessels.
The Tagor is the fourth shadow fleet ship detained by France since September 2025. A fifth tanker, Deliver, was detained off Sicily on June 23 and remains under arrest in southeastern France as of July 2.
