Suspected Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker released after paying huge fine

French authorities have released a tanker, the Grinch, suspected of being part of Russia’s sanctioned "shadow fleet", after its owners paid a penalty of "several million euros" and endured "three weeks of costly immobilisation".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the vessel’s departure from French waters in a post on X, emphasising the financial consequences for those attempting to bypass international restrictions.

"Circumventing European sanctions comes at a price. Russia will no longer be able to finance its war with impunity through a ghost fleet off our coasts," Mr Barrot stated.

The tanker was initially diverted by the French military last month and anchored in the port of Fos-sur-Mer, following an investigation into a charge of failing to fly a valid flag.

Its crew, of Indian nationality, remained on board throughout the detention period.

A joint statement from the Marseille prosecutor’s office and regional maritime authorities confirmed that, as part of a guilty plea procedure, the company owning the vessel was sentenced by the Marseille judicial court to a "financial penalty of confiscation".

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The exact amount of the fine was not disclosed.

In January, the French navy working with intelligence provided by the United Kingdom intercepted an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea that traveled from Russia, officials said.

Maritime law states that ships must be registered to a specific country or territory and display its flag, but if a ship fails to do this it could be deemed stateless. This would have to be established for the UK to seize a vessel.

Russia is believed to be using a fleet of over 400 ships to evade sanctions over its war against Ukraine. France and other countries have vowed to crack down.

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The fleet comprises aging vessels and tankers owned by non-transparent entities with addresses in non-sanctioning countries, and sailing under flags from such countries.

Last September, French naval forces boarded another oil tanker off the French Atlantic coast that President Emmanuel Macron also linked to the shadow fleet. Putin denounced that interception as an act of piracy.

That tanker’s captain is to go on trial next week over the crew’s alleged refusal to cooperate.