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The captain of an oil tanker intercepted by the French navy has been detained as part of an investigation into potential false flag operations, according to the Marseille prosecutor’s office on Sunday.
The vessel, named Grinch, was seized in the Mediterranean on Thursday and redirected to dock off the French port city, under suspicion of being part of a shadow fleet that facilitates Russia’s continued oil exports despite international sanctions.
The 58-year-old Indian national captain was detained during the initial phase of the investigation, though the prosecutors did not specify connections to Russia. The ship departed from the Russian port of Murmansk in early January, flying a Comoros flag, French authorities confirmed.
Other crew members, also Indian nationals, remain on board while investigators examine the authenticity of the vessel’s flag and its navigation records, the statement noted.
Although the EU has implemented 19 rounds of sanctions against Russia, Moscow has found ways to adapt and continues to sell millions of barrels of oil to countries like India and China, generally at reduced prices. Much of this oil is transported via a shadow fleet of ships operating outside the Western maritime industry’s oversight.
In October, France detained another sanctioned tanker, the Boracay, off its western coast before releasing it a few days later.
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