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Defence · Global desk · Full report

France seizes Russian ‘shadow fleet’ oil tanker in Indian Ocean

France seizes Russian 'shadow fleet' oil tanker in Indian Ocean

By Sandy M · Published · 3 min read
Related file image: Oil & Chemical Tanker Jo Kari and Crude Oil Tanker SFL Lion at BP Oil Refinery Jetty, Kwinana and General Cargo Ship Danzigergracht at Kwinana Bulk Jetty, October 2022
Related file image: Oil & Chemical Tanker Jo Kari and Crude Oil Tanker SFL Lion at BP Oil Refinery Jetty, Kwinana and General Cargo Ship Danzigergracht at Kwinana Bulk Jetty, October 2022. File date: 2022-10-26 08:58:10. Calistemon · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP. View licence and source ↗ · Usage terms ↗
The brief

France seizes Russian 'shadow fleet' oil tanker in Indian Ocean

The story

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France's navy detained an oil tanker called the DF Peak, which belongs to the 'shadow fleet', on October 12.

The tanker was detained over 450 nautical miles south of Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean, with authorities suspecting it was flying a false flag and illegally transporting fuel.

According to data from Marinetraffic, the tanker was sailing under Benin's flag and was headed to the port of Cruz Grande in Chile.

A closer look

The tanker was built in 2006 and originally belonged to the company Sovcomflot, sailing under the name NS Captain. It was renamed Kaliningrad in 2024 and took its current name in 2025.

The U.S. sanctioned the tanker in February 2024, and the European Union, Switzerland, Canada, the U.K., and Ukraine followed with sanctions of their own.

France has detained tankers belonging to the 'shadow fleet,' including some reportedly linked to Russia, several times since the start of 2026.

This incident is not an isolated case, as the U.K.

This incident is not an isolated case, as the U.K. detained a Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker for the first time in mid-June after it tried to pass through the English Channel.

Sources compared

Read the source reports and compare their framing:

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