Source: Reference News
The French prosecutor's office in Brest announced on October 1 that a Russian "ghost fleet" tanker was intercepted in the waters near Brittany, and two crew members had been controlled.
The two crew members identified themselves as the captain and the first mate.The 244-meter-long oil tanker, flying the flag of Benin, belongs to Russia's fleet used to circumvent Western oil sanctions against Russia, and has been included in the sanctions list by the European Union.
French soldiers wearing hoods appeared on the deck of the tanker. (AFP)
It is that the ship was interrupted at the end of September and subsequently checked on board. On the afternoon of October 1, an air image taken by AFP showed that a capped soldier appeared on the deck of the ship. French President Emmanuel Macron had previously mentioned during the European Union summit in Copenhagen that the French Navy had carried out a “very important operation”.
The source said: “The intervention team acted in time and the crew of this ship made a very serious mistake.”
The Brest prosecutor noted that the judiciary had launched an investigation into "failure to prove the nationality of the vessel" and "refusal to obey orders," but did not provide further details.
According to reports, the ship has changed its name and flag many times and has been registered in many countries. In addition, the website of Maritime Supervisor magazine stated that the ship was suspected of participating in recent drone incidents that interfered with Danish air traffic and said it could have been used as a "launch platform" or "bait."
Russian President's press secretary Dmitry Peskov responded to questions at a press conference on Monday."About the specific vessels you discussed ... we have no information, we don't know which vessels are referred to, and we don't know the circumstances."