French navy seizes Russia-linked oil tanker in Atlantic

French navy seizes Russia-linked oil tanker in Atlantic
Angelique Chrisafis 1 Jun 2026 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/01/macron-french-navy-boarded...

French soldiers on the Boracay in October. The tanker was suspected of belonging to the ‘shadow fleet’ involved in the Russian oil trade. Photograph: Stéphane Mahé/Reuters
President Macron says ship subject to sanctions and posts video of operation that took place with UK support

A suspected Russian oil tanker has been detained in the Atlantic, France has announced, in the latest seizure aimed at combatting Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of vessels contravening international sanctions.

The Tagor was detained on Sunday morning in international waters more than 400 nautical miles (740km) west of Brittany with the help of the UK and other partners, said the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

According to French authorities, the vessel was on its way from Murmansk in north-west Russia when it was seized.

Macron said the French navy boarded an oil tanker that was subject to international sanctions and sailing from Russia. He posted a video he said was of the seizure, which showed commandos descending from a helicopter on to a ship.

Macron wrote on X: “This operation took place in the Atlantic Ocean, on the high seas, with the support of several partners, including the United Kingdom, in strict compliance with the law of the sea.”

He said: “It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and finance the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years.”

The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said of the ship’s seizure: “We consider these acts as illegal, they border on international piracy … Russia is taking measures to ensure the safety of its cargo.”

The ship was falsely flying a Cameroonian flag and was heading towards Limbe, a coastal city in the west of the African country, a spokesperson for the French maritime prefecture told Agence France-Presse.

A suspected Russian oil tanker has been detained in the Atlantic, France has announced, in the latest seizure aimed at combatting Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of vessels contravening international sanctions.

The Tagor was detained on Sunday morning in international waters more than 400 nautical miles (740km) west of Brittany with the help of the UK and other partners, said the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

According to French authorities, the vessel was on its way from Murmansk in north-west Russia when it was seized.

Macron said the French navy boarded an oil tanker that was subject to international sanctions and sailing from Russia. He posted a video he said was of the seizure, which showed commandos descending from a helicopter on to a ship.

Macron wrote on X: “This operation took place in the Atlantic Ocean, on the high seas, with the support of several partners, including the United Kingdom, in strict compliance with the law of the sea.”

He said: “It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and finance the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years.”

The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said of the ship’s seizure: “We consider these acts as illegal, they border on international piracy … Russia is taking measures to ensure the safety of its cargo.”

The ship was falsely flying a Cameroonian flag and was heading towards Limbe, a coastal city in the west of the African country, a spokesperson for the French maritime prefecture told Agence France-Presse.

In September, the French navy boarded the Boracay, which claimed to be flagged in Benin. Its Chinese captain was put on trial in absentia, and a French court in March issued an arrest warrant and a one-year jail sentence against him.

In January, French forces impounded another suspected Russian tanker, the Grinch, and in March, the Deyna, which had sailed from Murmansk under a Mozambican flag, was detained in Marseille.

In April, France announced a plan to double penalties for ships that fail to fly a flag or refuse to comply.

Several western countries have imposed sanctions on hundreds of vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Nearly 600 vessels suspected of being part of that fleet are subject to EU sanctions.

Agence France-Presse and Reuters contributed to this report