France Seizes Russian Sanctions-Busting Tanker in Atlantic

(MENAFN) French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday that the French Navy had intercepted and boarded a sanctioned tanker traveling from Russia, framing the operation as a firm demonstration of Paris's commitment to enforcing international sanctions and upholding the rule of law at sea.

Macron disclosed the operation via a post on X, the social media platform owned by US entrepreneur Elon Musk, identifying the vessel as the Tagor. The boarding took place in the Atlantic Ocean, he confirmed.

"The French Navy intercepted yesterday morning a new tanker under international sanctions coming from Russia: the Tagor," he stated.

The French leader said the mission was conducted in open waters alongside several partner nations, with the UK among those explicitly named, and was executed "in strict compliance with the law of the sea."

Macron made clear that France would not ease its stance on sanctions enforcement, issuing pointed remarks about the broader implications of evasion.

"It is unacceptable that ships circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea and finance the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years," he stressed.

The president also raised alarm over the navigational and environmental dangers posed by vessels operating outside established maritime frameworks.

"These ships, which do not respect the most basic rules of maritime navigation, also constitute a threat to the environment and to the safety of all," Macron said.

The Tagor interception marks the latest in a series of European efforts to tighten the net around Russia's so-called shadow fleet — a network of tankers widely believed to be transporting Russian oil in defiance of Western sanctions tied to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

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