France seizes sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean
The French Navy boarded and seized the sanctioned oil tanker Tagor in international waters of the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday, in the latest enforcement action against Russia's so-called shadow fleet, a network of vessels used to circumvent Western restrictions on Russian energy exports. The operation was conducted with support from several allied nations, including the United Kingdom, and represents France's third known seizure of a shadow fleet vessel.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the operation on Monday, stating that the Navy had intercepted a new internationally sanctioned tanker coming from Russia and that the operation had been carried out in international waters in full compliance with international maritime law. Macron described the practice of shadow fleet vessels circumventing international sanctions as unacceptable, adding that such ships finance the war Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years. He further stated that these vessels fail to respect the most basic rules of maritime navigation and constitute a threat to the environment and to the safety of all.
The Atlantic Maritime Prefecture confirmed in a separate statement that the Navy intervened on the tanker more than 400 nautical miles west of the tip of Brittany, after the vessel had departed Murmansk in Russia. The ship was suspected of flying a false flag, and an examination of its documents during the boarding confirmed suspicions about the irregularity of the flag it was displaying. The vessel was subsequently redirected in accordance with international law at the request of the public prosecutor. The Tagor is subject to sanctions from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine. U.S. sanctions were imposed against the tanker in July 2025, followed by European Union sanctions in October 2025.
The seizure of the Tagor forms part of a sustained and intensifying Western campaign against Russian illicit oil shipping. France had previously intercepted a suspected shadow fleet tanker in the Mediterranean in January 2026 and boarded another vessel in the North Sea in March. In late March, France also detained the tanker Deyna, which was released in April after the payment of fines. In April, the European Union's 20th sanctions package added the port of Murmansk itself to its sanctions list, citing its use by vessels employing irregular and high-risk shipping methods. Western governments have pledged tighter enforcement as long as the war in Ukraine continues, though the effectiveness of individual seizures in curbing the broader shadow fleet network remains a subject of debate among policy analysts and shipping industry observers.
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