{"id":98633,"date":"2026-03-23T16:23:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T16:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia"},"modified":"2026-03-23T17:19:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:19:23","slug":"france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia","title":{"rendered":"France Boards Mozambique-Flagged Oil Tanker Linked to Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

What You Need to Know<\/h4>\n

The French Navy has boarded a Mozambique-flagged oil tanker, the Deyna, suspected of being part of Russia’s shadow fleet. This operation, supported by British allies, aims to disrupt Moscow’s oil exports amid Western sanctions. President Macron emphasized France’s commitment to supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression, highlighting the legal implications of such vessels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Africa-Press – Mozambique. <\/strong> <\/span>The French Navy seized an oil tanker on Friday in the Western Mediterranean that President Emmanuel Macron said belonged to Russia\u2019s shadow fleet, a network of vessels that enables Moscow to export oil despite Western sanctions.<\/p>\n

Local officials told Reuters earlier on Friday that the navy had boarded a Mozambique-flagged oil tanker named Deyna that was suspected of flying a false flag. The ship had been sailing from the Russian port of Murmansk.<\/p>\n

Western sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine and aimed at cutting its oil revenue have led to the rise of a shadow fleet of tankers helping Moscow keep its crude exports flowing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe war involving Iran will not deflect \u2060France from its support for Ukraine, where Russia\u2019s war of aggression continues unabated,\u201d Macron wrote in a post on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese ships, which circumvent international sanctions and violate the law of the sea, are war profiteers. They seek to reap profits and finance Russia\u2019s war effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

While European sanctions remain in place, the U.S. has temporarily eased sanctions on the sale of Russian oil as the Middle East war disrupts oil supplies and boosts prices.<\/p>\n

The Russian embassy in France did not immediately reply to a request for comment, but Moscow has previously called the seizure of its tankers or vessels carrying its cargoes an act of piracy.<\/p>\n

Opaque ownership structures <\/b><\/p>\n

A Western military source said the tanker was carrying Russian crude oil.<\/p>\n

Shadow fleet vessels typically have opaque ownership structures and have raised concern about environmental risks, with poorly regulated, ageing tankers prone to spills, mechanical failures and leaks, threatening marine ecosystems.<\/p>\n

They usually sail without \u2060top-tier Western insurance or safety certification cover, and often have unknown insurers or assessors of the vessels\u2019 seaworthiness \u2013 both required for ocean-going commercial ships, shipping and insurance industry sources familiar with the matter have said.<\/p>\n

The operation was carried out with British allies, the French Mediterranean prefecture said.<\/p>\n

Britain\u2019s Defence Minister John Healey said in a post on X that its armed forces had supported the French operation, saying that \u201cdisrupting, deterring and degrading Russia\u2019s shadow fleet \u2013 and starving Putin\u2019s war machine of funds \u2013 \u2060is a priority for this government\u201d and its allies.<\/p>\n

France adopting more assertive posture<\/b><\/p>\n

At the prosecutor\u2019s request, the vessel was escorted to an anchorage point for further inspection, the French military said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese inspections will likely focus on vessel documentation, including flag state registration and P&I Club insurance, with particular scrutiny on any discrepancies or evidence \u2060of falsified documents,\u201d a maritime security source said.<\/p>\n

The source added that recent public statements by French authorities suggested a more assertive posture, indicating a realistic possibility that this case could escalate further.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould material irregularities or violations be identified, French authorities may proceed with the formal seizure of the vessel,\u201d \u2060the source said.<\/p>\n

It was the second such interception by France in recent months. In January, France stopped the oil tanker Grinch between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco on suspicion that it was part of the Russian shadow fleet.<\/p>\n

The rise of a shadow fleet has emerged as a response to Western sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions aim to limit Russia’s oil revenue, leading to the use of tankers that often operate under false flags. The Deyna, sailing from Murmansk, is part of this network, raising concerns about environmental risks and legal violations. France’s recent actions reflect a more assertive stance in enforcing these sanctions and addressing the challenges posed by such maritime operations.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Mozambique<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What You Need to Know The French Navy has boarded a Mozambique-flagged oil tanker, the Deyna, suspected of being part of Russia’s shadow fleet. This operation, supported by British allies, aims to disrupt Moscow’s oil exports amid Western sanctions. President Macron emphasized France’s commitment to supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression, highlighting the legal implications of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":98632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[738,283,8398,913,1152,8399],"class_list":["post-98633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-france","tag-mozambique","tag-oil-tanker","tag-russia","tag-sanctions","tag-shadow-fleet"],"yoast_head":"\nFrance Boards Mozambique-Flagged Oil Tanker Linked to Russia - Mozambique<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The French Navy has seized a Mozambique-flagged oil tanker linked to Russia's shadow fleet amid ongoing sanctions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"France Boards Mozambique-Flagged Oil Tanker Linked to Russia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The French Navy has seized a Mozambique-flagged oil tanker linked to Russia's shadow fleet amid ongoing sanctions.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mozambique\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-23T16:23:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-23T17:19:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774285999.664949.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"France Boards Mozambique-Flagged Oil Tanker Linked to Russia\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-23T16:23:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-23T17:19:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia\"},\"wordCount\":683,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774285999.664949.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"France\",\"Mozambique\",\"oil tanker\",\"Russia\",\"Sanctions\",\"shadow fleet\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/france-boards-mozambique-flagged-oil-tanker-linked-to-russia\",\"name\":\"France Boards Mozambique-Flagged Oil Tanker Linked to Russia - 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