France seizes another sanctioned tanker carrying Russian oil

By Joseph Ataman, Tim Lister and Anna Chernova, CNN

(CNN) — The French navy has intercepted a sanctioned oil tanker that had sailed from a Russian port – the third known seizure in recent months.

The ship – the Tagor – was seized in the Atlantic “in international waters, with the support of several partners including the United Kingdom, in strict compliance with the law of the sea,” French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X Monday.

A crude oil tanker with that name registered in Madagascar was shown on ship tracking sites in the North Atlantic five days ago, having set out from the Russian port of Umba.

The Tagor has been sanctioned by the European Union, the UK and the United States.

“It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years,” Macron said.

“These vessels, which fail to adhere to the most basic rules of maritime navigation, also pose a threat to the environment and to everyone’s safety.”

The Kremlin said France’s action on Sunday night was “illegal, bordering on international piracy.”

“We absolutely disagree that they are being carried out in full compliance with international law,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The captain of the Tagor is believed to be a Russian citizen, the Russian embassy in Paris told state news agency TASS.

The embassy said it had requested information from French authorities regarding the presence of Russian citizens among the crew but was yet to receive a response.

France has urged a tougher Western approach towards intercepting ships carrying Russian oil in defiance of sanctions, saying they frequently fly under false flags, are uninsured or lack safety certification.

In March, the French navy seized an oil tanker in the Mediterranean that Macron said belonged ‌to Russia’s shadow fleet, which comprises several hundred tankers through which Russia evades sanctions.

These ships “seek to reap profits and finance Russia’s war effort,” Macron said then.

The United States has eased sanctions on Russian oil already at sea as the conflict in the Middle East war disrupts oil supplies. Europe has not followed suit.

The UK government said in March that “disrupting, deterring and degrading Russia’s shadow fleet – and starving Putin’s war machine of funds – ⁠is a priority for this government” and its allies.

In January, France stopped another oil tanker between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco on suspicion that it was part of the Russian shadow fleet.

Belgium intercepted another tanker suspected of sailing with a “false flag and false documents” in March, with French assistance.

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