The French Navy has intercepted a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea believed to be part of Moscow’s Shadow Fleet, a network of false-flagged ships used to export oil and evade Western sanctions, reports have revealed.
President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that French troops had boarded and searched the tanker, which is subject to international sanctions.
The ship reportedly sailed from Murmansk, in northern Russia, under the flag of Comoros.
Macron wrote on X that the operation took place on the high seas in the Mediterranean Sea, with the support of several allied countries.
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The French president added that the ship had been diverted for further checks.
The tanker, identified as the Grinch, was intercepted between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco in the western Mediterranean, French maritime police said.
The Associated Press reported the interception.
France and Britain gathered and shared intelligence about the ship, according to French military officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
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An international operation stopped a Russian shadow fleet tanker called the Grinch in the Mediterranean Sea. (Etat Major des Armees/AP)
The interception is the latest in a growing number of Russia-linked ships stopped by U.S. and European authorities in recent months as Western powers step up efforts to disrupt Russian oil exports.
The US European Command (EUCOM) has announced the seizure of the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic Sea.
France’s maritime prefecture for the Mediterranean said the team that boarded the Grinch on Thursday had inspected the ship and decided that documents raised doubts about the regularity of the ship’s flag.
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The Russian oil tanker intercepted between Spain and Morocco. (Etat Major des Armees)
The tanker is being escorted to an anchorage by the French Navy for additional verification.
The European Union has imposed 19 rounds of sanctions on Russia since its massive invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Despite these measures, Russia has continued to export millions of barrels of oil, mainly to China and India, and often at discounted prices.
What has become known as a ‘shadow fleet’ consists of hundreds of old and poorly regulated tankers that change names, ownership structures and flags to avoid detection and sanctions.
French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy embrace after signing an agreement on November 17, 2025 at Villacoublay air base near Paris. (Christophe Ena/AP photo, swimming pool)
Maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence estimates the global shadow fleet at around 1,400 tankers, many of which are subject to US, UK or European sanctions. Reuters reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized European countries for not doing more to stop the transport of Russian oil using sanctioned ships, which he said helps finance the war in Ukraine.
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“Why can [U.S. President Donald Trump] stop ‘shadow fleet’ tankers and seize their oil, while Europe cannot do that?” Zelensky asked Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“Russian oil is being transported along the European coast. This oil is financing the war against Ukraine. This oil is helping to destabilize Europe.”
