Details have emerged about the Russian tanker detained by France
The tanker Tagor, which was detained by the French Navy and is believed to be linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” was sailing from Murmansk, Russia, under the Cameroonian flag. The vessel was intercepted by French military forces on Sunday.
This was reported by the French Atlantic Maritime Prefecture.
According to the Maritime Prefecture, the interception of the sanctioned oil tanker took place more than 400 nautical miles (740 kilometers) west of the tip of Brittany.
According to a spokesperson, the vessel was sailing under a false Cameroonian flag and was headed for Limbé, a port city in the west of that African country.
“After an inspection team boarded the vessel, a document check confirmed suspicions regarding the illegality of the flag being flown. This was reported to the prosecutor in Brest, who is the competent authority within the maritime court,” the spokesperson said.
The oil tanker, which had changed flags several times, was “practically empty” at the time of its detention. The last time it sent a geolocation signal a week ago, the Tagor was off the coast of Norway and sailing under the flag of Madagascar, according to the MarineTraffic website.
There were 23 crew members on board the tanker, whose nationalities have not been disclosed.
The vessel is currently being escorted by the French navy to a holding area for further inspections.
The European Union is considering adding about 20 additional tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet to the upcoming 21st package of restrictive measures aimed at reducing Moscow’s oil revenues. The new sanctions are also planned to be extended to vessels transporting liquefied natural gas to prevent the Kremlin from creating a similar shadow fleet for LNG.
Ukraine has introduced a new package of sanctions against Russian commanders who directed missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, as well as against vessels providing military logistics for Russia.
