The French Navy, aided by British intelligence, boarded the Comoros-flagged tanker Grinch today. The vessel had originated its voyage from Russia. The move comes amid a growing U.S. and allied effort to use military force for interdictions of the so-called ‘shadow fleet,’ a network of ships with links to Russia that transport its oil, in breach of sanctions and price caps. In response to that effort, Russia sent a warship to escort one of these vessels, following its warning against boardings.
“We will not tolerate any violation,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on X. “This morning, the French Navy boarded an oil tanker coming from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag. The operation was conducted on the high seas in the Mediterranean, with the support of several of our allies. It was carried out in strict compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
Macron said the ship has been “diverted” and that a judicial investigation has been opened.
“We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions,” the French leader explained. “The activities of the ‘shadow fleet’ contribute to financing the war of aggression against Ukraine.”
The French military posted additional photos of the operation on X. One shows a helicopter hovering near the Grinch.
The French mission was conducted in conjunction with the U.K, which gathered and shared intelligence that enabled the ship to be intercepted, according to French military officials who spoke to The Associated Press. It was not the first such mission and won’t be the last, a French official told us.
“Last September, French naval forces boarded another oil tanker off the French Atlantic coast that Macron also linked to the shadow fleet,” the Independent noted. “That tanker traveled from the Russian oil terminal in Primorsk near Saint Petersburg. Known as ‘Pushpa‘ or ‘Boracay‘ — its name was changed several times — the ship was sailing under the flag of Benin.”
However, the Grinch boarding came as European nations are vowing to increase efforts to stop shadow fleet vessels, and amid growing tensions with Russia over interdiction efforts. On Monday, the Russian Project 20380 corvette Boikiy entered the English Channel, accompanying an oil tanker on its way back to the Baltic Sea, according to the Times. This military escort was the first “since Britain threatened to seize Moscow’s shadow fleet ships,” the Times added.
Last week, U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Politico that London was willing to consider joint enforcement efforts.
“We stand ready to work with allies on stronger enforcement around the shadow fleet,” she said.
While declining to offer specifics, Cooper did not rule out the prospect of British forces boarding vessels.
“It means looking at whatever is appropriate, depending on the circumstances that we face,” she told the publication.
She also “did not rule out using oil from seized vessels to fund the Ukrainian war effort — but cautioned that the prospect was of a different order to using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine,” according to Politico. “That idea hit a wall in discussions between EU countries in December.”
Cooper’s statements sparked a warning from Russia that these ships “will be escorted by security ships,” Russian Ambassador to the U.K. Andrey Kelin told the official Russian news outlet Izvestia earlier this week. “Areas closed to navigation may arise and attempts may be made to block critical straits and channels.”
“This is a deliberate escalation of instability, the consequences of which for international law and order and global trade will be extremely serious,” Kelin added. “What politicians in London are talking about is essentially a return to the era of the pirate Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard. What they forget is that Britain has long ceased to be the ‘ruler of the seas,’ and its actions will not go unpunished.”
While still mulling over its future plans for ship interdictions, the U.K. assisted a separate U.S. effort to seize sanctioned ships in the wake of a blockade of Venezuela ordered by President Donald Trump. On Jan. 7, British forces helped interdict the runaway tanker Marinera, which was previously known as the Bella 1, during a ship boarding in the North Sea.
“U.K. armed forces provided pre-planned operational support, including basing, to U.S. military assets interdicting the Bella 1 between the U.K. and Iceland following a U.S. request for assistance,” the MoD said in a statement at the time. “RFA Tideforce is providing support for U.S. forces pursuing and interdicting the Bella 1, while the RAF provided surveillance support from the air.”
While there were reports that Russia would send warships to escort the Marinera, there was no effort to stop the interdiction.
You can see that effort in the following video.
On Tuesday, U.S. Southern Command announced the seventh such seizure.
“U.S. military forces, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended Motor Vessel Sagitta without incident,” SOUTHCOM said on X. “The apprehension of another tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”
Because much of the oil on these sanctioned ships goes to help fund Russia’s war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday chided Europeans for not doing more to prevent the shipments.
“Why can [U.S. President Donald Trump] stop tankers of the ‘shadow fleet’ and seize their oil, while Europe can’t,” Zelensky complained during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “Russian oil is transported right along the European coast. This oil funds the war against Ukraine. This oil helps destabilize Europe. Therefore, Russian oil must be stopped and confiscated, and sold to benefit Europe. Why not? If Putin has no money, Europe has no war. If Europe has money, then it can protect its people as well. Right now, these tankers are earning money for Putin, and that means Russia continues to push its sick agenda.”
After the Grinch was boarded, Zelensky thanked France via a post on X.
“This is exactly the kind of resolve needed to ensure that Russian oil no longer finances Russia’s war,” he stated. “Russian tankers operating near European shores must be stopped.”
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com