The French navy has intercepted a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea, which is believed to be part of Moscow’s covert fleet. This network of vessels, operating under false flags, is allegedly used to export oil while evading Western sanctions, as reported recently.
On Thursday, President Emmanuel Macron announced that French forces had boarded and inspected the tanker, which is under international sanctions.
According to reports, the ship was on a voyage from Murmansk, a city in northern Russia, and was sailing under the flag of the Comoros Islands.
Macron shared on X that the operation was conducted on the open seas in the Mediterranean, with assistance from several allied nations.
The French president noted that the tanker had been redirected for additional inspections.
Identified as the Grinch, the tanker was seized by French maritime authorities between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco in the western Mediterranean.
The Associated Press reported the interception.
France and the U.K. gathered and shared intelligence on the vessel, according to French military officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
An international operation stopped a Russian shadow fleet tanker called the Grinch in the Mediterranean. (Etat Major des Armees/AP)
The interception is the latest in a growing number of Russian-linked vessels stopped by U.S. and European authorities in recent months as Western powers intensify efforts to disrupt Russia’s oil exports.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, in early January, U.S. forces seized another sanctioned tanker in the Atlantic Ocean.
U.S. European Command (EUCOM) announced the seizure of the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker in the North Atlantic Sea.
France’s Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture said the team that boarded the Grinch Thursday had inspected the vessel and decided documents raised doubts about the regularity of the vessel’s flag.
The Russian oil tanker intercepted between Spain and Morocco. (Etat Major des Armees )
The tanker is being escorted by the French navy to an anchorage for additional verification.
The European Union has imposed 19 rounds of sanctions on Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Despite those measures, Russia has continued to export millions of barrels of oil, mainly to China and India and often at discounted prices.
What has become known as a “shadow fleet” consists of hundreds of old and poorly regulated tankers that change names, ownership structures and flags to avoid detection and sanctions.
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hug after signing an agreement Nov. 17, 2025, at the Villacoublay air base near Paris. (Christophe Ena/AP Photo, Pool)
Maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence estimates the global shadow fleet at about 1,400 tankers, many of which are subject to U.S., British or European sanctions, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized European countries for not doing more to stop the transport of Russian oil using sanctioned vessels and which he says helps fund the war in Ukraine.
“Why can [U.S. President Donald Trump] stop tankers of the ‘shadow fleet’ and seize their oil, while Europe can’t?” Zelensky asked at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday.
“Russian oil is transported right along the European coast. This oil funds the war against Ukraine. This oil helps destabilize Europe.”
