The French navy has detained a tanker from Russia’s so-called shadow fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, French President Emmanuel Macron said on 20 March on the X network.
“This morning, the French navy detained another vessel from the shadow fleet, the Deyna, in the Mediterranean Sea. The war in Iran will not distract France from supporting Ukraine, where Russia’s war of aggression continues,” he wrote.
The operation was reportedly supported by the UK.
According to the Marine Traffic service, the vessel sails under the flag of Mozambique. The tanker left the Indian port of Sikka on 2 January 2026 and was due to arrive in Egypt’s Port Said on 26 March. The French Maritime Prefecture said the vessel was travelling from the Russian port of Murmansk and was suspected of using a false flag. This, it noted, was confirmed by inspectors who boarded the tanker.
In accordance with international law and at the request of the Marseille prosecutor, the tanker will be brought to the anchorage for inspection, the prefecture said in a press release. The operation, French authorities said, was carried out in co-operation with allies, including Britain, which was involved in the surveillance of the vessel.
The Deyna tanker is designed to carry crude oil. It is under sanctions by the United States, the EU, Switzerland, the UK, Canada and Ukraine.
In January 2026, France and allies detained the Grinch vessel in the Mediterranean, and in February it was released with a fine of “several million euros” for failing to justify the use of the flag. In late September 2025, the French military detained the tanker Boracay but later released it as well. Both of these vessels are also considered tankers in Russia’s shadow fleet, which Russia uses to circumvent sanctions and restrictions on oil sales.
France detained the tanker Deyna, which is part of Russia’s shadow fleet