France Investigates Oil โขTanker Linked to โขRussian ‘Ghostโ Fleet,’ Detains Two
Brest, France – French authorities have โขlaunched a judicialโ examination into an oil tanker intercepted off the coast ofโ Saint-Nazaire, in the Loire-Atlantique region, due to concerns โคover its nationality and lack of cooperation with investigators. โขThe 244-meterโ vessel,โฃ currently flying a Benin flag butโ known as either “Pushpa” โor “Boracay,” is suspected of โbelongingโฃ to โthe so-calledโ “Russian โGhost Fleet” – a network of ships used by Moscow โto circumvent Westernโค sanctions on its oil exports.
Following a warning from the French National Navy, โฃthe investigation โฃcenters on “lack of justification of the nationality of the ship/pavilion” and “refusal to cooperate,” according to Brest attorney Stรฉphane Kellenberger. The โship’s commander โขand a key โขmember of theโฃ crew are currently in police custody,Franceinfo reports.
French President Emmanuel โMacronโฃ stated, “Very seriousโ absences have been committed by this crew, whichโข justify, actually, that the process will be โขjudicialized today,” โduringโค a European summit in Copenhagen,โ without providing further specifics.
Macron also emphasized the financial meaning of the “Ghost Fleet,”โข stating it “represents tens of thousands of euros for the Russian โคbudget.accordingโฃ to our estimates,it finances 40% of theโ Russian war effort. there are between 600 and โ1000 ships that circulateโ and allow Russian hydrocarbons to โbe transported even when theyโ are prohibited.”
The tanker โis subject to sanctions not only fromโข the European Union, but โฃalso fromโค Switzerland, โthe โฃUnited Kingdom, โCanada, and New Zealand,โค according to OpenSanctions.org.โ Builtโข in 2007, the vessel has repeatedly changed its โคregistration, previously being flagged inโข Gabon, theโข Marshall โIslands, and Mongolia.
Authorities are also โinvestigating a potential link between the oil tanker and a โคrecentโข drone incursionโฃ into Danishโ airspace.The Maritime Executive reports the โshipโ mayโ have been used as โa “drone launch platform” or “bait.” Macron urged “great prudence”โฃ regarding this possibility, noting the incident disrupted Danish air trafficโ and has not been officially attributed to Russia.
The โขinvestigation comes amid heightened security concerns in Europe. โฃDanish Prime Minister Mette frederiksen, hosting the summit, warned thatโฃ Europe is facingโค “the most arduous and โdangerous situation since World โคWar II,” characterizing the current situation as moreโ severeโค then during the Cold war. She alsoโฃ expressed support for countermeasuresโค against drones, emphasizingโข the need for โคa “rightโค way” to address the โขthreat.