The French Navy?on Thursday intercepted in the Mediterranean a Russian oil tanker suspected of being part of 'the shadow fleet' that allows Russia to export its oil despite sanctions.

This?operation was conducted... with support from several of our allies. The operation was carried out in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, said French President Emmanuel Macron on X.

In a separate statement, the French maritime policing said that the interception took place on the high seas between the southern coast of Spain and northern coast of Morocco.

The statement also added that other nations, including Britain's navy, had supported the operation.

RUSSIA ADOPTS TO SANCTIONS

The EU imposed '19 packages of sanctions on Russia. But Moscow has adjusted to the majority of measures, and continues to supply millions of barrels at discount prices to countries like India and China.

A large amount of?oil, or crude oil, is transported by what's known as "a shadow fleet" of vessels that operate outside the Western maritime industry. Macron wrote in his blog that the tanker named GRINCH was sailing from Murmansk, in northern Russia, and is under international sanctions. It's suspected to be operating under a fake flag.

According to?LSEG, the tanker was flying a Comoros Flag.

Macron said that "the activities of the Shadow Fleet contribute to funding (Russia's war of aggression) against Ukraine". In a post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that the operation "exactly matched the level of resolve required".

He proposed that the oil transported by the?tankers in the shadow fleet' be confiscated and then sold.

The case was sent to the Marseille prosecutor, who is in charge of maritime law. The prosecutor ordered that the ship be diverted to a 'further investigation. TASS reported that Moscow claimed France hadn't informed Russia of the intercept.

The Russian Consulate in Marseille, citing the Russian Embassy in France, is?trying' to determine if Russian citizens are on the crew, TASS reported. The Boracay tanker was detained by France in October and released after a few short days.

(source: Reuters)