France immobilizes suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker near Sicily

France immobilized the oil tanker Deliver near Sicily and released its captain after two days in police custody. The Marseille prosecutor ordered the ship held on June 29 after authorities suspected it belonged to Russia’s shadow fleet, the group of aging vessels used to keep oil and gas moving around Western restrictions.

The tanker had left Primorsk, one of Russia’s main oil export terminals, and was headed toward the Suez Canal and then Singapore when French authorities intercepted it off Sicily on June 23. The vessel was flying a Cameroonian flag, but the maritime prefecture of the Mediterranean said its documents raised doubts about the flag’s validity. The ship had been struck off Cameroon’s registry weeks earlier, leaving it effectively without nationality and in breach of international maritime law.

The operation was carried out with help from the European Union’s EUNAVFOR MED IRINI mission and allies including the United Kingdom. Emmanuel Macron said the action showed Europe’s determination to prevent the shadow fleet from evading sanctions and helping finance Russia’s war effort. The Russian embassy in France denounced the seizure as “another case of piracy” and called it “illegal and unacceptable” under international law.

Nine suspected shadow fleet tankers have been seized since the start of 2026, including four by France, while the United Kingdom seized another oil tanker in the English Channel on June 14. The Deliver was France’s fifth seizure of a suspected shadow fleet tanker since September 2025. Earlier French actions included the detention of other suspect vessels such as the Grinch and the Tagor.

Kpler estimates Russia’s shadow fleet still supports crude exports of about 3.7 million barrels per day despite sanctions, and some of these vessels still obtain insurance ultimately backed by European financial markets and use Western banking structures to obscure ownership and payment trails. Cameroon removed 36 vessels from its registry amid pressure over shadow fleet abuse.