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A Passenger Ferry, a Spy Device, and a Suspected Russian Plot to Seize Control at Sea
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French intelligence services are investigating what officials describe as a potential attempt at hostile foreign interference after a sophisticated spying device was discovered aboard a passenger ferry operating in the Mediterranean, raising fears that the vessel’s critical systems could have been compromised, according to The Telegraph on December 17.
The device was discovered on the 180-meter ferry Fantastic, which is capable of carrying more than 2,000 passengers, when it docked in the southern French port of Sète.
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The discovery followed an urgent intelligence warning from Italian authorities. The ferry regularly operates routes linking France, Italy, and North Africa.
French investigators believe the small, high-tech device may have allowed remote access to sensitive onboard systems, potentially enabling an external operator to monitor or interfere with navigation, communications, or safety functions. The equipment has been seized and sent for forensic examination to determine both its origin and its technical capabilities.
Security officials suspect the ferry’s digital systems may have been compromised using malicious software designed for covert remote access, prompting concerns that the vessel could have been diverted or exploited for hostile purposes while operating in French waters.
As part of the investigation, French security services detained two crew members. One suspect, a Latvian national in his early 20s who had recently joined the crew as a trainee sailor, was transferred to Paris and placed in custody.
He has been charged with attempting to unlawfully access an automated data-processing system “in an organised group and for the benefit of a foreign power.” A second crew member, a Bulgarian national, was questioned and later released without charges.
Investigators are examining whether the Latvian suspect had physical access to restricted areas of the ship, including systems critical to navigation and operational safety. His legal team has denied any cooperation with a foreign state and is contesting the accusations.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that authorities are treating the case as a matter of potential foreign interference.
“This is a very serious matter… individuals attempted to hack into a ship’s data processing system,” Nuñez said.
“Investigators are clearly pursuing the trail of interference, foreign interference. At the moment, foreign interference very often comes from the same country.”
While French officials have not publicly named a suspect state, Nuñez’s remarks were widely interpreted as referring to Russia, particularly amid growing concern in France over Moscow’s use of hybrid operations combining cyber activity, espionage, and covert sabotage.
French prosecutors stressed that no formal attribution has yet been made and that the investigation remains ongoing. The ferry was temporarily detained to allow full technical inspections before being cleared to resume service.
If Russian involvement is ultimately confirmed, The Telegraph notes that the case would represent the first known attempt in France to infiltrate or potentially weaponize a civilian passenger vessel through cyber means, marking a significant escalation in suspected hybrid threats to European civilian infrastructure.
Earlier, a group of volunteer scuba divers off the coast of Wales recovered what defense analysts believe is a Russian sonar buoy designed to track submarines.
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