French prosecutors have charged the captain of an oil tanker suspected of belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”, a network of vessels allegedly used to sidestep Western sanctions.
The Boracay, a tanker currently registered in Benin but repeatedly renamed and reflagged in recent years, was intercepted earlier this week by French naval forces.
Authorities boarded the ship after it appeared on an EU list of sanctioned vessels carrying Russian crude.
The Chinese national in command of the vessel was formally charged with refusing to comply with naval orders and is due to appear before a court in Brest next February. He was also unable to provide a coherent answer about the ship’s flag when questioned.
A second Chinese captain detained at the same time was released without charge.
The tanker is now anchored off Saint-Nazaire, further down the French Atlantic coast.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the French operation, calling it “piracy”, though the Kremlin previously denied any connection to the Boracay.
Under international maritime law, naval forces are permitted to stop merchant ships if there is reasonable suspicion that the vessel lacks a valid nationality. The Boracay was already detained by Estonian authorities earlier this year on similar grounds.
The tanker departed the Russian port of Primorsk on 20 September, navigating the Baltic Sea and English Channel before heading towards India. According to shipping data, it had been scheduled to reach the port of Vadinar in Gujarat on 20 October.
The vessel drew further scrutiny last week after unidentified drones entered Danish airspace, forcing the temporary closure of several airports.
The Boracay was reportedly nearby at the time, though no evidence has linked it to the incident. French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at an EU security summit in Copenhagen, declined to comment on any possible connection.
Several European states, including Poland, Estonia and Romania, have reported recent drone or aircraft incursions. While Moscow has denied deliberate involvement, Western officials have accused Russia of expanding efforts to undermine European security.
Sanctions on Russian energy have restricted imports and capped oil prices since the invasion of Ukraine, pushing Moscow to rely on what is thought to be a fleet of several hundred tankers operating under foreign flags.
Macron has estimated Russia’s shadow fleet may number between 600 and 1,000 ships.
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