French prosecutors said a tanker suspected of belonging to the Russian Shadow Fleet had been checked in the French offshore, and the Chinese captain of the ship would be tried in French courts early next year for refusing to cooperate with the French authorities.

French naval commandos boarded the suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker Boracay and arrested the Chinese captain. (Reuters)

This oil tanker named Boracay, flying the flag of Benin, has been included in the sanctions list of Britain and the European Union. It is reported that when the captain and the first mate were boarded for inspection off the coast of France on the 30th of last month, they refused to provide the registration certificate and failed to comply with the instructions of the French authorities, so they were detained. The captain has been charged and will appear in court in February next year, while the first mate has been released.

According to ship tracking platform MarineTraffic, on September 22, the tanker appeared in the area about 90 kilometers south of Copenhagen, Denmark, when the local airport was closed due to the discovery of drone activity.

French Prime Minister Sebastian Lecornu said in a statement on social media: ¡°Thanks to the French Navy assault forces and officers who managed to inspect the Russian Shadow Fleet tanker over the weekend, two crew members have been arrested.

Brest prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger pointed out in a statement that the two arrested people, who claimed to be the captain and the first mate, were charged with failing to produce ship registry documents and refusing to carry out orders. The current detention period has been extended.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for the investigation and stressed that Russia's shadow fleet, which could number as many as 600 to 1,000 ships, is an important tool for Moscow to circumvent sanctions. He called on Europe to intensify its crackdown.

Both France and Denmark have not confirmed whether the case was related to the recent drone invasion.

The Kremlin said there was no information on the ship, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said the Russian military would respond to the so-called ¡°provocation¡± if necessary.

Read more:

12 Hours of International Recall.

Chinese businesswoman involved in Bitcoin fraud case! Lawyer reveals: Britain may become the biggest winner

Canada bans the export of 30 beluga whales to China and threatens to be captive for life

Compilation link:https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/5198846