French national security has arrested two senior crew members of a Russian shadow fleet tanker, which is suspected of being connected with the mysterious drone flights over Denmark. Boracay, a Benin-flagged ship blacklisted by the European Union, was off the Danish coast when airports and military installations were disrupted in September by drones. President Emmanuel Macron affirmed that France is probing the ship on serious crimes, even though he pointed out how they should cease the activity of the shadow fleet run by Russia to disregard sanctions.
During the investigation of the fleet, the French navy boards the fleet vessel
France arrested two crews of a Russian tanker of the so-called shadow fleet on Wednesday, which had been taken off the coast of the French western port of Saint-Nazaire, said the Brest prosecutor. The tanker is believed to have been involved in drone overflights in Denmark, and the two arrested men posed as the captain of the vessel and his first officer, according to Brest prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger.
The prosecutor alleged that the initial hearing is concerned with not providing evidence of the nationality of the vessel and not obeying the instructions, but the maximum punishment is one year in prison and a 150,000 (175,000) fine. On Wednesday, French military personnel were on the deck of the tanker, currently off the coast of western France, when AFP journalists flew over the location.
Vessel followed close to Denmark in unexplained cases of drone
Ship tracking data analysed by AFP reveals that the Boracay was stationed off Denmark on Sept. 22-25. Since Sept. 22, drones have been spotted in Denmark, including over military installations, leading to the momentary shutdown of several airports. The vessel is thought to have taken part in mysterious drone flights, which have caused air traffic to be disrupted in Denmark in September, according to the specialist site The Maritime Executive.
Macron confirms the investigation of serious offenses without confirmation
France was investigating the ship on allegations of grave offenses, President Emmanuel Macron said. But he had gone as far as verifying news of a linkage with the Denmark drone flights. Certain very grave offences were perpetrated by this crew, the reasons behind which make judicial procedure the current one, Macron informed journalists at an EU leaders’ summit at Copenhagen.
The Boracay, constructed in 2007 and also called Pushpa and Kiwala, has been anchored off Saint-Nazaire in the west of France for several days. The tanker and other ships could have been used as launch platforms or as decoys, which was what was said in the publication. The French action, however, highlighted the significance of the work by Europeans to eliminate the so-called shadow fleet of ships that helped Russia to avoid the Western ban.
The shadow fleet constitutes a large part of Russian war financing
Hundreds of aging tankers operated by Russia to find a way around Curbs on oil exports, which were enforced following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, are sanctioned by the European Union. The French president added that the so-called shadow fleet was believed to cost Russia tens of billions of euros and comprised 40 percent of its war effort, and was estimated to involve 600-1,000 vessels. The tanker sailed out of the Russian port of Primorsk near St. Petersburg on Sept. 20 and was due to reach the Indian northwestern Vadinar port on Oct. 20.
The probe by France puts into focus the mounting European attempt to fight the operations of the shadow fleet by Moscow. The fact of the arrest of the crew indicates a higher level of attentiveness to the processes of the sanction-busting. As the shadow fleet reflects a large war budget, the European governments are increasing pressure to crack down on these activities to keep straining the war capabilities of Moscow.