The French Navy has seized a sanctioned oil tanker that left a Russian port. This is the third known seizure in recent months.
French President Emmanuel Macron posted on Monday that the ship, the Tagore, was captured in the Atlantic Ocean “in international waters, in strict compliance with the law of the sea, with the support of several partners, including the United Kingdom.”
A crude oil tanker with that name, registered in Madagascar, was seen leaving the Russian port of Umba five days ago on a North Atlantic ship tracking site.
Tagore is facing sanctions from the European Union, Britain and the United States.
“It is unacceptable for ships to evade international sanctions, violate the law of the sea and finance Russia’s war against Ukraine for more than four years,” President Macron said.
“Failure to comply with the most basic rules of maritime navigation, these vessels also pose a threat to the environment and the safety of everyone.”
The Kremlin said France’s actions Sunday night were “illegal and border on international piracy.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We completely disagree that it has been carried out in full compliance with international law.”
The Tagore’s captain is believed to be a Russian national, the Russian embassy in Paris told state-run TASS news agency.
The embassy said it had asked French authorities for information on whether there were Russians on board, but had not yet received a response.
France has called for a tougher Western approach to seizing ships carrying Russian oil in defiance of sanctions, saying they frequently sail under false flags, are uninsured or lack safety certifications.
In March, the French navy seized an oil tanker in the Mediterranean that President Macron said belonged to Russia’s shadow fleet. The shadow fleet consists of hundreds of tankers that Russia uses to evade sanctions.
These ships are “trying to profit and finance Russia’s war effort,” Macron said at the time.
The United States has eased sanctions on Russian oil already at sea as oil supplies are disrupted by conflicts in the Middle East. Europe has not followed suit.
The British government said in March that “disrupting, deterring and degrading Russia’s shadow fleet and defunding Putin’s war machine are priorities for this government and its allies.”
In January, France anchored another oil tanker between Spain’s southern coast and Morocco’s northern coast, suspected of being part of Russia’s shadow fleet.
In March, Belgium, with support from France, seized another tanker suspected of sailing with “false flags and false documents.”
