French marines board Iranian-linked tanker carrying Russian Arctic oil
The Tagor was en route from Kola Bay, in northern Russia, toward an unknown destination when the French Navy took action.
The Tagor (IMO 9282481) sailed northwards along the Norwegian coast in late March and loaded oil in Kola Bay in early April. Ship traffic data show that the 250-metre-long carrier sailed past the North Cape on 30 March. Nine days later, satellite images from Kola Bay appear to show the Tagor loading oil at the Umba FSU.
The Umba FSU primarily handles Arctic oil extracted by Lukoil.
Following the transshipment, the Tagor left Kola Bay and returned southwards along the Norwegian coast. On 30 April, it was boarded by French marines as it sailed along the French Atlantic coast.
"It is unacceptable that ships should circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and finance the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years," French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement.
"These vessels, which fail to comply with the most basic rules of maritime navigation, also pose a threat to the environment and to everyone’s safety," he added.
According to the president, the operation took place in the Atlantic, on the high seas, with the support of several partners, including the United Kingdom, and in strict compliance with the law of the sea.
According to Equasis, a shipping information system, the Tagor is currently owned and managed by Zulu Ship Management, a company believed to be linked to Iranian authorities.
Both the tanker and Zulu Ship Management are subject to international sanctions.
According to US authorities, Zulu Ship Management is part of a shipping empire controlled by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, a chief political adviser to the Supreme Leader of Iran.
Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani allegedly uses corruption through his father’s political influence at the highest levels of the Iranian regime to build and operate a large fleet of tankers and container ships, OpenSanctions, an open-source database of sanctions, reports.
The company transports oil and petroleum products from Iran and Russia, as well as other cargoes, to buyers around the world, generating tens of billions of dollars in profits, according to OpenSanctions.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the imposition of international sanctions against Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, the Tagor has changed its flag state four times.
According to Equasis, the tanker is currently sailing under a false Madagascar flag. Before September 2025, it sailed under a false Guinea flag. Before August 2025, the flag state was listed as "not known."
Likewise, the ship has repeatedly changed its name and owners.
