Macron announced that the French armed forces took control of a Russian Shadow Fleet oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean

The French Navy, supported by the UK and other partners, has detained a sanctioned tanker sailing from Russia in the Atlantic Ocean, President Emmanuel Macron stated. "Yesterday morning, the French Navy detained another oil tanker, the Tagor, sailing from Russia and subject to international sanctions. This operation was carried out on the high seas in the Atlantic Ocean with the support of several partners, including the UK, and in strict accordance with maritime law," the French leader wrote in a post on his X page.

According to the VesselFinder monitoring service, the Tagor oil tanker flies the flag of Madagascar. It made its last port call in Murmansk in early May, the service’s website noted.

Previous seizures
On March 20, the French Navy conducted an operation involving the Deyna oil tanker in the western Mediterranean Sea. The vessel was flying the Mozambican flag and had departed from Murmansk. French President Emmanuel Macron noted that the Deyna was part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. On April 16, the press service of the Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture reported that the French authorities had lifted the detention of the Deyna after the fine was paid.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized that Moscow would use all available means to ensure respect for the principle of freedom of navigation in order to counter EU piracy in maritime areas.