French navy, backed by the UK, intercepts Russian oil tanker

The French navy with support from the United Kingdom has intercepted an oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s sanctions-busting “shadow fleet” .

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the interception in a post on X on Monday, saying the Tagor was boarded on Sunday in the Atlantic.

The post included a video showing a person rappelling from a helicopter onto a ship.

“It is unacceptable that boats skirt international sanctions , violate the law of the sea and finance the war that Russia has been waging for more than 4 years against Ukraine,” Macron wrote.

“These ships, that don’t respect the most elementary rules of maritime navigation, are also a threat to the environment and everyone’s security.”

According to French authorities, the tanker had sailed from Murmansk in northwestern Russia.

The ship was falsely flying a Cameroonian flag, the maritime prefecture said, and was heading towards Limbe, a seaside city in western Cameroon.

Guillaume Le Rasle, spokesman for the Atlantic maritime prefecture, said the tanker was under European Union and United States sanctions.