France Seizes Another ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker; Russia Decries ‘Piracy’

France's military was taking a tanker suspected to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" skirting Western sanctions to Reunion island on Tuesday in what Moscow called another act of "piracy." Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.

Shadow Fleet Tanker ‘DF Peak’ as seen from a UAV or helicopter during the VBSS operation.

(Source: EMA) PARIS/MOSCOW, Oct 13 (Reuters) – France’s military was taking a tanker suspected to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” skirting Western sanctions to Reunion island on Tuesday in what Moscow called another act of “piracy.” Sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine and aimed at cutting its oil revenue have spawned a fleet of often aging and unregulated vessels helping Moscow keep its crude exports flowing.

The DF Peak, previously named the Kaliningrad and flagged from Benin, is at least the fifth Russian-linked tanker to be seized by France since 2024.

“We had doubts regarding the flag under which this vessel was sailing, so we carried out an inspection,” French army spokesperson Colonel Xavier Rival told a news conference.

“Those doubts remain, and therefore the vessel is currently proceeding to Reunion Island by decision of the public prosecutor, so that we can examine the matter in detail.” The US on Monday temporarily eased sanctions on the sale of Russian diesel as the Middle East war disrupts oil supplies and boosts prices.

Europe has been taking tougher action against tankers using false flag registries to transport Russian oil, including boarding vessels at sea.

Russia’s embassy in France was quoted by the state RIA news agency on Tuesday as saying that the seizure of the DF Peak was “piracy” and a blatant violation of international law.

Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.