Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker diverted to French port by naval forces 

The French navy has diverted an ‍oil tanker, suspected of being part of Russia’s sanctions-busting “shadow fleet”, ‍towards the port of Marseille-Fos for further investigation, according to reports.

The office of the ​prosecutor in the southern French city of Marseille, which handles matters related to ‌maritime law and is investigating the case, said on Friday that the ship had been diverted, but did not specify where to.

A source close to the case told the AFP news agency that the tanker is expected to arrive on Saturday morning at the port of Marseille-Fos in southern France.

The ‘Grinch ‘ tanker was intercepted by French naval forces on Thursday while on the high seas in the western Mediterranean, between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco, France’s maritime police said in a statement.

It added that navies of other countries, including Britain, supported the operation.

Video footage released by the French military of the operation showed a unit of soldiers descending from a helicopter onto the deck of the Russia-linked ship. The boarding of the vessel involved a navy boat and two navy helicopters, according to reports.

The Grinch, which was sailing under a Comoros flag, left the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk in ​early January and is suspected of operating under a ‍false flag and of belonging to the secretive fleet of ships that enables Russia to export oil around the world despite international sanctions due to Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

The AFP news agency reported that a ship called “Grinch” is under United Kingdom sanctions, while another named “Carl” – with the same registration number – is sanctioned by the United States and European Union.

Prosecutors in Marseille said they were investigating the ship’s alleged failure to confirm its nationality.

The EU has ‌imposed 19 packages of sanctions against Russia, but Moscow has adapted to most measures ‌and continues to sell millions of barrels ⁠of oil to countries such as India and China, typically at discounted prices.

Much of the oil, which is key to financing its war in Ukraine, is carried by what is known as ‌a shadow fleet of vessels operating outside of Western maritime industry regulations.

In October, France detained another Russian-linked sanctioned tanker, the Boracay, off its ‍west coast and released it after a few days.

The Boracay’s Chinese captain is to stand trial in France in February over the crew’s alleged refusal to cooperate with investigators, according to French judicial authorities.