The captain of an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia's shadow fleet has been charged by French authorities. This Chinese national faces charges for refusing to follow instructions from the French navy and is set to attend a court hearing in Brest next February.
The Boracay departed Russia last month and was off Denmark's coast when unidentified drones prompted some airport closures in the region. French soldiers boarded the ship, which was reported as subject to EU sanctions for carrying Russian oil exports. Russian President Vladimir Putin labeled the French actions as 'piracy'.
The Boracay, currently registered in Benin, has undergone multiple name and flag changes, which are believed to be attempts to evade sanctions tied to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The French prosecutor stated the captain could not adequately explain the ship's flag and he, along with a second captain, were investigated for noncompliance with naval orders and failure to justify the ship's flag nationality.
The second captain was released after questioning, while the Boracay remains anchored near Saint-Nazaire. Under international law, naval forces can detain vessels suspected of lacking a nationality. The incident adds to the complexity of the sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russian energy exports.
Russia has built what has been dubbed a 'shadow fleet', comprising hundreds of tankers registered under various nationalities to circumvent sanctions and continue oil shipments, with French President Emmanuel Macron estimating this fleet consists of 600 to 1,000 ships. The Boracay itself has faced scrutiny before, having been detained by Estonian officials for sailing without a proper flag.
As the vessel traveled through the Baltic Sea, it is facing questions regarding its potential involvement in recent drone incursions into Danish airspace, an issue the French President did not comment on at a recent EU security summit in Copenhagen.
