France Detains Russian Tanker in North Sea

French military have detained a tanker from Russia in the North Sea. President Emmanuel Macron announced this on social media platform X.

«This morning, the French Navy detained an oil tanker from Russia that is under international sanctions and suspected of using a false flag,» he wrote.

According to Macron, the operation was conducted in the international waters of the North Sea with the support of France«s allies and »in strict accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.« The French president stated the country»s full determination to ensure «compliance with international law and the effective application of sanctions.»

As reported by the portal Maritima citing the Marseille prosecutor«s office and the French maritime prefecture, the tanker in question is the Grinch, which was sailing from Murmansk. Military personnel boarded the vessel to check documents, and the inspection »confirmed suspicions that the flag was raised unlawfully.«

It is worth noting that this is not the first time France has taken harsh measures against Russian vessels. For example, in October, military personnel detained two crew members of the tanker Boracay at sea near the port city of Saint-Nazaire. The sailors were later released, and the vessel continued its journey. The captain was only accused of failing to comply with an order from the French Navy to stop.

Recently, cases of seizing Russian tankers have increased. For instance, in January, the United States seized the Russian oil tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic. In response, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) stated that the vessel was sailing under the state flag of the Russian Federation in full compliance with the norms of international maritime law.

Following this incident, American and Russian authorities held several negotiations to free our sailors. Later, Trump promised to release two Russians from the seized vessel. However, they have not yet returned home.

On 22 January, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing that the Russian side expresses disappointment because the decision by US President Donald Trump to release the Russian sailors from the tanker Marinera has not been implemented.

«We express bewilderment and disappointment over the prolonged pause in resolving this important and urgent matter for us, and we hope that it will happen very soon and our citizens will be able to return home shortly,» the diplomat noted.