Different crew members, additionally Indian nationals, stay on board the ship whereas investigators confirm the validity of the flag and the vessel’s navigation paperwork. Picture: X/@FrenchForces
The captain of an oil tanker intercepted by the French navy has been detained beneath investigations into whether or not it was working beneath a false flag, the Marseille prosecutor’s workplace mentioned on Sunday (January 25, 2026).
The vessel named Grinch was seized within the Mediterranean on Thursday (January 22, 2026), then diverted to anchor off the French port metropolis, on suspicion of being a part of the shadow fleet that lets Russia export oil regardless of sanctions.
The 58-year-old captain, an Indian nationwide, was detained as a part of the preliminary investigations, the prosecutors mentioned in a press release that didn’t point out Russia.
The vessel left the Russian port of Murmansk in early January, crusing beneath a Comoros flag, French authorities have mentioned.
Different crew members, additionally Indian nationals, stay on board the ship whereas investigators confirm the validity of the flag and the vessel’s navigation paperwork, the assertion added.
The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions in opposition to Russia, however Moscow has tailored to most measures and continues to promote thousands and thousands of barrels of oil to international locations corresponding to India and China, sometimes at discounted costs.
A lot of the oil is carried by what is called a shadow fleet of vessels working outdoors of the Western maritime trade.
In October, France detained one other sanctioned tanker, the Boracay, off its west coast and launched it after just a few days
Printed – January 25, 2026 09:42 pm IST
