French Navy Boards Blacklisted Russian Tanker Off Western Coast of France
The French navy has boarded a blacklisted Russian tanker, the Boracay, off the western coast of France, detaining two senior crew members in connection with mysterious drone flights over Denmark last month.
According to ship tracking data analyzed by AFP, the Boracay was stationed off the Danish coast from September 22 to 25, during which time drones were sighted across Denmark, including over military sites. The incident prompted brief closures at several airports and a ban on all civilian drone flights until Friday.
The French navy boarded the tanker on Saturday, with a government source confirming the boarding. President Emmanuel Macron earlier on Wednesday said France was probing the ship for “serious offenses,” but stopped short of confirming reports of a connection to the Denmark drone flights.
Boracay‘s History and Blacklisting
Built in 2007 and previously known as Pushpa and Kiwala, the Boracay has been anchored off Saint-Nazaire in western France for several days. The vessel is suspected of being involved in mystery drone flights that disrupted air traffic in Denmark in September.
According to the specialist website The Maritime Executive, the tanker and other ships could have been used either as launch platforms or as decoys. However, when asked about those claims, Macron said he would “remain very careful,” as it was not for him to establish a link between the Boracay and the drone flights.
European Efforts to Stop Russia’s ‘Shadow Fleet’
The European Union has sanctioned hundreds of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Among them is the Boracay, which was blacklisted in February under the name Kiwala.
The French operation underscores the importance of European efforts to stop the “shadow fleet” of vessels aiding Russia to circumvent Western sanctions. The EU has estimated that this fleet includes between 600 and 1,000 ships, representing one vessel in a larger network of ships used to circumvent international sanctions against Russia.
Investigation Launched
The prosecutor’s office in the northwestern French city of Brest said it had opened an investigation following a report from the navy. The probe was launched over the crew’s “failure to justify the nationality of the vessel” and “refusal to cooperate,” Brest prosecutor Kellenberger told AFP.
The tanker left the Russian port of Primorsk outside Saint Petersburg on September 20 and was scheduled to arrive in Vadinar in northwestern India on October 20, according to data from the Marine Traffic tracking website.
Original Article: Two arrested as French navy boards blacklisted Russian tanker off western coast of France — Lemonde