France Seizes Captain of Sanctioned Russian Oil Tanker Operating Under Fake Flag

France has detained the captain of the oil tanker Grinch, a vessel tied to Russia’s shadow fleet, after it was intercepted by the French Navy in the Mediterranean Sea on January 22.

The ship is suspected of violating international maritime regulations and operating in defiance of sanctions targeting Russian oil exports.

According to Le Monde, the 58-year-old Indian national was taken into custody on January 25 as part of an investigation led by the Marseille prosecutor’s office. He is under scrutiny for potential “flag irregularities” and falsified shipping documentation.

The Grinch was intercepted in the Alboran Sea, between Spain and North Africa, and escorted under military guard to the port of Fos-sur-Mer near Martigues, where it remains anchored and under surveillance.

France’s General Staff published images of the operation on its official X (formerly Twitter) account. The seizure was later confirmed by multiple outlets including Le Monde.

French authorities are coordinating with maritime security and customs teams from Toulon and Marseille to assess the legitimacy of the ship’s documents and determine whether it breached navigation laws.

The Grinch, which also appears in maritime databases under the name Carl, is included in sanctions lists maintained by the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Ukraine. It is reportedly part of Russia’s shadow fleet—a network of older tankers with obscured ownership used to circumvent oil export sanctions.

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These vessels frequently operate under flags of convenience, disable tracking systems, and engage in covert ship-to-ship transfers to obscure cargo origins.

The vessel’s crew, also Indian nationals, remain on board pending the outcome of the investigation. Officials are examining the ship’s route, documentation, and communication records to establish whether the vessel was engaged in illicit transport of Russian crude.

The investigation is being carried out under legal frameworks including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The primary violation cited so far is the absence of a properly displayed flag, a requirement for lawful maritime operation.

French President Emmanuel Macron publicly acknowledged the tanker’s interception on January 22, stating that the Grinch was operating under international sanctions and a false flag.

Earlier, US forces seized the tanker Sagitta in the Caribbean under Operation Southern Spear—marking the seventh such interception. Ukrainian intelligence identified it as part of Russia’s shadow fleet used to evade sanctions.

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