France lets ‘Russian shadow fleet’ tanker go after Vladimir Putin calls seizure ‘piracy’
AFP reported, citing vessel trackers, that the seized tanker, the Boracay, resumed its journey on Friday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had condemned France’s detention of a Russia-linked ship, said to be a part of Moscow's “Shadow Fleet”, calling it “piracy". The ship has reportedly been let go.
The statement comes after the French police seized a suspected “Shadow Fleet” tanker after the Navy boarded the vessel on Thursday.
“This is piracy. The tanker was seized in neutral waters without any justification," AFP quoted Putin as saying.
The Russian leader added that there was no military cargo onboard.
“We are closely monitoring the rising militarisation of Europe. Retaliatory measures by Russia will not take long. The response to such threats will be very significant. Russia will never show weakness or indecisiveness," he added.
AFP reported, citing vessel trackers, that the seized tanker, the Boracay, resumed its journey on Friday.
According to the report, the captain, a Chinese national who was arrested by the French police after the seizure, is on board the vessel for its onward journey.
New strategy to put pressure on Russia
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu had confirmed the seizure and the arrest of the captain and the first officer on Thursday through a post on X
“Thanks to our Navy commandos and to the crews of the French Navy who intervened this weekend on board a Russian shadow fleet tanker, currently anchored off Saint-Nazaire. Their action contributed to the arrest of two members of its crew," the post read.
Reuters quoted French President Emmanuel Macron as saying that France’s detention of a tanker suspected of operating for Russia’s “shadow fleet" is part of a new European strategy to block revenue funding Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.
“We want to increase pressure on Russia to convince it to return to the negotiating table," he said. “We have now decided to take a step further by moving towards a policy of obstruction when we have suspicious ships in our waters that are involved in this trafficking," he said in Brussels.
