French navy boards tanker in Mediterranean suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet
The interception took place in the Western Mediterranean and was carried out in cooperation with allies, including the United Kingdom, which monitored the ship.
The French navy intercepted and boarded a tanker in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday that President Emmanuel Macron said is linked to Russia's sanctioned shadow fleet shipping oil in violation of international sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
According to the French maritime authorities for the Mediterranean, the tanker Deyna is suspected of operating under a false flag designation.
The interception took place in the Western Mediterranean and was carried out in cooperation with allies, including the United Kingdom, which monitored the ship, the authorities said.
"This operation aimed to verify the nationality of the vessel," which was flying the flag of Mozambique and was coming from the Russian port of Murmansk, the maritime authorities said in a statement.
The documents found onboard "confirmed doubts about the validity of the flag," they said.
The tanker was diverted and escorted by the French navy to an anchorage point for further checks, the statement said and the case was referred to a prosecutor in the port of Marseille.
In a post on X, Macron called the Deyna a "shadow fleet" vessel.
"These vessels, which circumvent international sanctions and violate the law of the sea, are war profiteers. They seek to generate profits and finance Russia’s war effort," Macron said. "We won't let this happen."
Russia is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade sanctions over its war against Ukraine. France and other countries have vowed to crack down.
In January, France's navy intercepted an oil tanker in the Mediterranean sailing from Russia. The vessel was released last month after paying a multimillion-euro penalty.
Last September, French naval forces boarded another oil tanker of France's Atlantic coast that Macron also linked to the shadow fleet.
Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced that interception as an act of piracy.
French Navy Stops Sanctioned Shadow Fleet Tanker Sailing Under False Flag
The French Navy, working with the UK, has stopped another sanctioned shadow fleet tanker sailing in the Mediterranean. The Navy reports the tanker Deyna (111,808 dwt) was stopped midday on March 20 for verification due to the suspicion that it was operating under a false flag.
French forces boarded the tanker by helicopter after reporting, along with the British, that they had been tracking the vessel, which sailed from Murmansk, Russia. The tanker’s AIS signal showed it was heading to the Suez Canal and likely to China. Images show the ship low in the water, laden with a cargo of crude.
The Deyna, built in 2005, is listed as having had its class withdrawn in March 2024 and does not show an inspection record since August 2024. It is listed as owned by Chinese interests, with the French reporting the vessel claimed to be operating under the flag of Mozambique. Equasis lists the flag as Tonga. Africa has become a recent hot spot for false flag operations, with both Madagascar and landlocked Zimbabwe warning the IMO last month of false flag claims.
The tanker was sanctioned by the United States in January 2025 for its involvement with the Russian oil industry and links to a company called Sino Ship Management. The European Union and the UK also sanctioned this tanker in 2025.
Armee Francaise reports that the initial verification efforts this morning confirmed its suspicion regarding the legitimacy of the flag, and the case was referred to the public prosecutor in Marseille. At the prosecutor’s request, the tanker is being escorted to an anchorage for continued inspections.
“These vessels, which evade international sanctions and violate the law of the sea, are profiteers of war. They line their pockets while helping finance Russia’s war effort,” declared French President Emmanuel Macron. “We remain resolute… The war involving Iran will not deflect France from its support for Ukraine, where Russia’s war of aggression continues unabated.”
It marks the third instance where French has reported detaining a shadow fleet tanker. In January, it stopped another tanker off Marseille but released it after paying several million euros in fines. Similarly, last September, France detained another tanker off the Atlantic coast. The captain of that tanker was being tried in France for disobeying instructions from the military.
Across Europe, there are increasing efforts to crack down on false-flag vessels. The French military assisted Belgium in stopping another tanker earlier in March. It was also released after paying a fine. Sweden this month has detained two vessels that it reports were sailing under false flags. Both cases are currently under investigation, with the captains placed under detention and facing possible felony charges for presenting false papers. Denmark is also detaining a containership linked to Iran after reporting it was also flying a false flag, but quickly changed to Iran when it was challenged.
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