France Detained the Deliver, a Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker

The French Navy detained the tanker Deliver off the coast of Sicily; the vessel was sailing under the Cameroonian flag and had departed from Primorsk.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the vessel belongs to the Russian shadow fleet and is violating sanctions.

“We will not allow the shadow fleet to circumvent sanctions and finance the Russian war machine,” Macron said.

According to MarineTraffic data, the vessel was flying the Cameroonian flag and en route from the Russian port of Primorsk to Singapore. The vessel is subject to Ukrainian sanctions.

Macron noted that France detained the sanctioned tanker a few days after a similar operation by the United Kingdom involving the vessel SMYRTOS. According to him, this demonstrates the determination of European countries to combat sanctions evasion.

The French president also emphasized that Europe will continue to increase pressure on Russia, raising the cost of the war for it.

On May 31, France also detained the Russian oil tanker Tagor in the Atlantic Ocean. This marked the fourth time the country has intercepted vessels belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet.