French Navy boards shadow tanker carrying Arctic oil
"We will not tolerate any violation," said President Emanuell Macron as special forces from the French Navy took control of a 250 metre-long tanker carrying Arctic oil from Murmansk.
The boarding of the Grinch, a 22-year-old carrier sailing under a false Comoros flag, took place in western parts of the Mediterranean Sea on January 22.
The ship was on its way from Murmansk, the north Russian port. Most likely, on board was oil produced at an Arctic field.
At least two naval vessels took part in the operation. Photos shared by the French Joint Staff show two helicopters that approach the tanker.
The operation was conducted in cooperation with our allies, including British forces, in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Art.110 UNCLOS), the French report.
The purpose was to verify the nationality of a ship suspected of sailing under false flag. Preliminary investigations confirm unclarity with the flag state adherence and a report has been submitted to the state prosecutor in Marseille, a press release reports.
The ship is now being escorted to an anchorage site for further controls.
"We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions," Emanuell Macron emphasises.
The Grinch is one of several hundred so-called "shadow tankers" that transport Russian oil. It has changed flag state five times over the past four years. Before July 1, 2022 the ship was named Carl. It owner is Cube Ventures Shipping Sa, a sanctioned company registered in the Marshall Islands.
The Grinch has been on the sanctions lists of the US, EU and UK since early 2025.
Murmansk is one of Russia's biggest oil export ports. Much of the oil is produced in Arctic fields in the Yamal Peninsula and the Timan Pechora oil province, as well as the Prirazlomnaya offshore field, and shipped to the Kola Bay by Arctic-class tankers. It is subsequently reloaded to conventional tankers.
In the Kola Bay are located two major terminal tankers where transshipment operations are conducted. Among them is the the Umba, a 300,000 ton tanker, and the Kola, a 309,000 ton tanker.
A lion's share of the oil exported from Murmansk is now transported by sanctioned carriers. Information compiled by the Barents Observer shows that more than 50 so-called 'shadow tankers' in the period October 2025 - January 2026 sailed along the Norwegian coast to Murmansk.
