US EditionFrench navy intercepts sanctioned Russian tanker in Mediterranean, Macron says
French Navy, with UK intelligence support, intercepted the Russian tanker 'Grinch' suspected of false flag operation; part of a 400-ship shadow fleet evading sanctions, Macron said.
- On Thursday, January 22, 2026, the French Navy intercepted the sanctioned Russian oil tanker the Grinch in the western Mediterranean, suspecting it of flying a false flag.
- Western leaders describe the problem as a 'shadow fleet' of aging, largely uninsured tankers used to move sanctioned oil, with experts estimating over 400 vessels and the tanker sanctioned by the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom.
- Using United Kingdom-provided intelligence, French naval forces deployed two helicopters to board the tanker and inspect its documentation, releasing photos of the operation.
- French authorities opened a judicial probe and are escorting the vessel, while French President Emmanuel Macron wrote `We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions`.
- Recent allied moves show the interdiction campaign is intensifying, following seven tankers seized by the United States and a Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air report on about 11 million tonnes moved by the shadow fleet.
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Suspected Russia Shadow Fleet Tanker Headed to French Port
A tanker suspected of operating as part of Russia’s sanctions-busting “shadow fleet” is being escorted to the French port of Marseille-Fos on Saturday morning, sources close to the case said, a day after French forces boarded the vessel at sea. French forces, with the help of allies, intercepted and boarded the oil tanker Grinch on Thursday, between Spain and Morocco, after it began its journey from Murmansk in Russia’s Arctic, the sources said.…
This tanker, suspected of belonging to the Russian ghost fleet, was intercepted on Thursday by the French Navy in the Mediterranean The tanker suspected of belonging to the Russian ghost fleet, intercepted
Suspected of belonging to the Russian "phantom fleet", the "Grinch" is on its way to Marseille, where it should arrive Saturday afternoon, learned France Télévisions.
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