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

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

The full report

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.

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. detained a Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker for the first time in mid-June after it tried to pass through the English Channel.