France detained an oil tanker belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet" near Sicily
The French Navy detained the sanctioned oil tanker “Deliver,” which was sailing near the coast of the Italian island of Sicily.
This was reported in a statement by French President Emmanuel Macron. According to the French leader, the vessel was operating in violation of international maritime law, and special forces troops were deployed aboard via helicopter.
The head of state emphasized that this operation was directed against Russia’s “shadow fleet” and was carried out just a few days after a similar detention of a vessel by the United Kingdom. European countries are demonstrating their determination to continue blocking Russia’s attempts to circumvent international sanctions and finance its war efforts. Previous successful interceptions of Russian oil tankers by European allies have already been recorded in the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel.
Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
On June 1, France detained the Tagor, a tanker belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet, in the Atlantic.
The European Union is considering adding about 20 additional tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet to future restrictive measures aimed at reducing Moscow’s oil revenues. New sanctions are also planned to be extended to vessels transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) to prevent the Kremlin from creating a similar shadow fleet for LNG.
