French troops board oil tanker linked to Russian ‘shadow fleet’
French military personnel boarded the Benin-flagged oil tanker imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>Boracay, also known as imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>Pushpa and imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>Kiwala, on Tuesday after the vessel refused to comply with maritime authorities’ requests for documentation. The ship, which has been listed under UK and EU sanctions against Russia, was detained by Estonian authorities earlier this year for sailing without a valid country flag.
According to data from the Marine Traffic tracking website, the imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>Boracay had set off from the Russian port of Primorsk outside imo-9263198/”>imo-9263198/”>imo-9263198/”>Saint Petersburg on September 20 and sailed through the imo-9281891/”>imo-9281891/”>imo-9281891/”>Baltic Sea and past Denmark before entering the North Sea and continuing through the English Channel. It was scheduled to arrive in Vadinar in north-western imo-9287699/”>imo-9287699/”>imo-9287699/”>India on October 20, but its course was altered after being followed by a French warship.
The imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>Boracay is part of a larger network of ships used to circumvent international sanctions against Russia. The vessel’s detention comes as EU leaders meet in Copenhagen under pressure to boost European defence following a series of Russian incursions into EU airspace. Days ago, drones targeted Danish airports and military sites on the Jutland peninsula.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters that “from a European perspective there is only one country… willing to threaten us and that is Russia, and therefore we need a very strong answer back.” While Danish authorities have not found any evidence linking last week’s drone disruption to Russia, Frederiksen linked it explicitly to other so-called hybrid attacks such as Russian drones over Poland.
The incursions have become most acute for countries on the EU’s eastern flank, such as Poland and Estonia. A number of member states have already backed plans for a multi-layered “drone imo-9299886/”>imo-9299886/”>imo-9299886/”>wall” to quickly detect, then track and destroy Russian drones.
Part of Broader Shadow Fleet Operations
The imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>imo-9332810/”>Boracay is not an isolated incident, but rather part of a broader network of ships used by Russia to circumvent international sanctions. The vessel’s detention highlights the need for increased vigilance and cooperation among European nations to counter these efforts.
Enforcement Action Signals Stricter Approach
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Original Article: French troops board oil tanker linked to Russian ‘shadow fleet’ — BBC