France detains oil tanker from russia's shadow fleet

This was reported by Reuters.

The ship is subject to sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom and the European Union against russia. In early 2025, it was detained in Estonia, at which time it was named Kiwala. The Estonian Navy found 40 violations, including sailing without a valid national flag. After the ship rectified these violations, the Estonian authorities released it.

The Brest prosecutor told Reuters that the investigation began after the crew failed to provide proof of the ship's nationality and did not comply with orders. According to MarineTraffic, the crude oil tanker left the russian port of Primorsk on 20 September. It passed through the Baltic Sea and north of Denmark before entering the North Sea and heading west through the English Channel.

Ship tracking data shows that the tanker, built in 2007, was escorted by a French military vessel after it rounded the north-western coast of France and then changed course and headed east towards the French coast. It is currently anchored near Saint-Nazaire on the north-western coast of France.

The UK and the EU imposed separate sanctions on the tanker in October 2024 and February 2025. The EU said the vessel was involved in the transport of russian crude oil and petroleum products, ‘while engaging in illegal and high-risk shipping practices.

The United Kingdom stated that the vessel was ‘engaged in activities whose purpose or effect is to destabilise Ukraine [...] or to benefit or support the russian government’ while transporting oil or petroleum products of russian origin to a third country.’

As a result, French armed forces boarded the russian-linked tanker Boracay, which was anchored off the west coast of France and is under investigation by the French authorities.

Photos released by AFP on Wednesday show soldiers in uniform on the deck of the Boracay.

A source in the French government confirmed to AFP that French navy personnel had indeed boarded the vessel, but did not specify the reasons for this action.

It later emerged that French law enforcement officers had detained two crew members of the Boracay tanker, which is believed to be part of russia's ‘shadow fleet’.

According to European Pravda, this was announced by French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu in his X.

The prime minister announced that, following a decision by the Brest prosecutor's office, two crew members of the tanker had been taken into custody and described the vessel as a tanker belonging to the russian shadow fleet. 

However, on 3 October, the Boracay tanker from the russian shadow fleet, previously detained by the French navy, resumed its journey to the Suez Canal.

This was confirmed by data from the marine tracking portals Marine Traffic and Vesselfinder.

Source: Babel, European Pravda, European Pravda, Babel