France Detains Sanctioned Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker Boracay

France has launched an investigation into the possible sanctions violation by the oil tanker Boracay, which is part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

Reuters reported on this.

According to the French Navy, the vessel is currently moored off the western coast of France, near the port of Saint-Nazaire, on the grounds that it is subject to sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom and the European Union against Russia.

The investigation was launched after the crew failed to provide proof of the vessel’s nationality and did not comply with orders from the French authorities. The Brest prosecutor’s office is investigating to determine the circumstances of the incident.

The Boracay tanker, built in 2007, departed from the Russian port of Primorsk on September 20 and sailed through the Baltic Sea, Denmark, and the North Sea before entering the English Channel.

According to MarineTraffic data, after making a detour along the northwestern coast of France, the vessel changed course and is currently anchored near the port of Saint-Nazaire under the escort of a French naval ship.

It is worth noting that the vessel has been subject to European Union sanctions since October 2024 and to United Kingdom sanctions since February 2025 for transporting crude oil and petroleum products of Russian origin.

The UK government claims that the tanker was involved in activities that contribute to the destabilization of Ukraine or benefit the Russian government.

Previously, the vessel was named Kiwala and changed its name to Boracay (or Pushpa in some databases) in December 2024. Despite the name change, it retained its IMO identification number.

Meanwhile, Andrii Klymenko, editor-in-chief of the BlackSeaNews portal, noted that the French detention of the Boracay tanker is an essential and timely example of how legitimate maritime procedures can be used to deter the “shadow fleet” trading in Russian oil.

“According to our data, the vessel was detected and stopped as early as September 27 in the Atlantic near Brest; Reuters on September 30 merely summarized the official statement by the French Navy regarding the launch of the investigation,” Klymenko wrote.

He also noted: “The BORACAY tanker, ‘under the flag of Benin,’ was in fact detained (as revealed by our own mini-investigation) on suspicion that, on the evening of September 22, 2025 – while near Copenhagen, at a time when the Danish capital’s airport was closed due to unidentified drones – it may have been the launch site of those drones.”

Militarnyi previously reported that on September 22, 2025, airports in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, temporarily suspended operations due to the appearance of unidentified drones flying over the city.