France has seized the tanker “Deliver” near Sicily as part of the West’s efforts to crack down on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, June 25.
In a post on X, Macron said the French Navy intercepted the vessel on Tuesday while it was transiting off the coast of Sicily and allegedly violating international maritime law. He also shared a video showing the operation.
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Macron said the seizure came just days after the UK carried out a similar operation, describing it as another sign of Europe’s determination to enforce sanctions against Russia.
“We will not allow the shadow fleet to circumvent sanctions and finance Russia’s war effort,” Macron wrote. “Europe is determined.”
Macron said Europe would continue taking steps to increase the cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“Europe will continue all necessary efforts to increase the cost of the war for Russia and help achieve a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine,” he wrote.
Russia has relied on a network of aging tankers, commonly referred to as the “shadow fleet,” to continue exporting oil while circumventing Western sanctions imposed after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Europe steps up pressure on Russia’s shadow fleet
France’s seizure of the “Deliver” tanker comes amid broader European efforts to tighten enforcement against Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
Earlier this month, lawmakers from France and Germany introduced a joint initiative calling for stricter action against the fleet. The proposal, scheduled for consideration by the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly, urges governments to increase inspections of suspected vessels, detain ships found violating international regulations and step up diplomatic pressure on countries whose flags the tankers operate under.
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The lawmakers argued that the shadow fleet poses not only a sanctions enforcement challenge but also growing security and environmental risks because many of the vessels are old, poorly maintained and operate with limited transparency.
The initiative has received backing from lawmakers representing Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU), Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party.
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