Within 48 hours, France gave in! " French naval special forces detained the oil tanker suspected of belonging to the Russian "Shadow Fleet", and the "Bolakai" has been released.
On October 3, 2025, French media that the Russian "Ghost Fleet" tanker "Bolakai", which was interrupted by French authorities, resumed its journey to the Suez Canal on the night of October 3, local time.
On the night of 3 October local time, the 244-meter tanker resumed its route to the Suez Canal in the waters near Biscay Bay’s La Roche-sur-Mer, which was seized two days earlier by French naval special forces.
The detained Chinese captain and deputy have also returned to the ship, with a bursting boat wave ending in such a hurry.The tragedy began on October 1, when the French authorities announced the seizure of the "Bolakai" on the grounds that the ship belonged to the Russian "Shadow Fleet".
The 110,000-ton oil tanker departed from Primorsk Port in Russia, carrying oil purchased by India, and was originally planned to sail to Wadinar Port in India. France took a tough stance at that time, which seemed to have caught the key handle of sanctions against Russia.
But no one expected that the painting style would suddenly change in just 48 hours. Not only was the ship released, but the people were also sent back. This kind of anticlimactic behavior was really incomprehensible. To understand France's operating logic, we must first see clearly the nature of the "shadow fleet".
This is the "energy life line" created by Russia in response to U.S. Western sanctions, consisting of more than 500 old tankers, hiding its tracks by changing the name of the ship, disguising the registered place, closing the tracking system, and even mixing the source of crude oil in the open sea, so as to maintain oil exports.
The United States and Europe have set up an "oil price limit order", stipulating that countries participating in sanctions are not allowed to provide insurance and financial services for the transportation of high-priced Russian oil. Many oil tankers in the "Shadow Fleet" either seek insurance from non-Western companies or simply "run naked" without insurance. This may have given France the confidence to "gamble"-thinking that if it catches an unprotected ship, the other party can only admit its bad luck.
But France has clearly underestimated Russia’s resolve to counteract the “shadow fleet” that is critical to the Russian economy, and the Russian oil export revenue growth in 2022-2024 relies on the fleet to evade sanctions.
It is widely speculated that France has most likely been privately "beaten" by Russia. This kind of beating is by no means groundless. Just look at the example of Iran. After its fleet is detained, the Revolutionary Guard Corps will directly capture another country's oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for "reciprocal retaliation". If Russia follows this law, the French shipping industry may suffer a big loss.
More importantly, France’s ship carried oil from India and India was not a participant in the sanctions against Russia, a transaction that fully complies with international rules. France’s forced involvement in third-country trade is essentially to use the name of the sanctions to express its “status of a great power” in Europe.
But when I really detained the ship, I discovered that I couldn't withstand the follow-up pressure at all: Russia's counter-measure threat was imminent, India, as an important trading partner, might also be dissatisfied, and the domestic shipping industry was even more afraid of being implicated. After weighing the pros and cons, releasing the tanker became the only way out, but this operation of "jumping first and then softening" exposed the background of the "paper tiger".
This storm also involved innocent Chinese captains. At first, France boasted that it wanted to arrest him, but in the end it hastily released him. Such reneging not only lost face, but also damaged its international credibility. You know, the crew members of the "Shadow Fleet" often come from many countries. France detains people indiscriminately, which is a disregard for the rights and interests of the crew members, and finally releases them under pressure, which makes it even more apparent that the original toughness is all posturing.
France's embarrassing situation reflects the dilemma of sanctions against Russia by the United States and the West. The growth of the "Shadow Fleet" has long shown that blockade alone cannot cut off Russia's energy exports, but instead forces it to establish an independent shipping system. Britain has repeatedly sanctioned Russian "Shadow Fleet" ships, but has never been able to curb the expansion of the fleet's size. France's failed attempt this time is just another footnote that proves that sanctions are ineffective.
Now the "Boracay" has travelled to the Suez Canal, leaving France debated internationally. Want to rely on the boat to find a sense of existence, but do not take the consequences, this "thunder and little rain" operation, will only make yourself a laugh.
Russia has used its "shadow fleet" to gain a firm foothold in energy exports, while France's 48-hour face change may remind other countries that want to use sanctions to show off their muscles: without diamonds, don't take on porcelain work, otherwise you will only end up asking for trouble.# Russian oil tanker seized # #cargo ship seized # ##headlines and hot topics #
On October 3, 2025, French media that the Russian "Ghost Fleet" tanker "Bolakai", which was interrupted by French authorities, resumed its journey to the Suez Canal on the night of October 3, local time.
On the night of 3 October local time, the 244-meter tanker resumed its route to the Suez Canal in the waters near Biscay Bay’s La Roche-sur-Mer, which was seized two days earlier by French naval special forces.
The detained Chinese captain and deputy have also returned to the ship, with a bursting boat wave ending in such a hurry.The tragedy began on October 1, when the French authorities announced the seizure of the "Bolakai" on the grounds that the ship belonged to the Russian "Shadow Fleet".
The 110,000-ton oil tanker departed from Primorsk Port in Russia, carrying oil purchased by India, and was originally planned to sail to Wadinar Port in India. France took a tough stance at that time, which seemed to have caught the key handle of sanctions against Russia.
But no one expected that the painting style would suddenly change in just 48 hours. Not only was the ship released, but the people were also sent back. This kind of anticlimactic behavior was really incomprehensible. To understand France's operating logic, we must first see clearly the nature of the "shadow fleet".
This is the "energy life line" created by Russia in response to U.S. Western sanctions, consisting of more than 500 old tankers, hiding its tracks by changing the name of the ship, disguising the registered place, closing the tracking system, and even mixing the source of crude oil in the open sea, so as to maintain oil exports.
The United States and Europe have set up an "oil price limit order", stipulating that countries participating in sanctions are not allowed to provide insurance and financial services for the transportation of high-priced Russian oil. Many oil tankers in the "Shadow Fleet" either seek insurance from non-Western companies or simply "run naked" without insurance. This may have given France the confidence to "gamble"-thinking that if it catches an unprotected ship, the other party can only admit its bad luck.
But France has clearly underestimated Russia’s resolve to counteract the “shadow fleet” that is critical to the Russian economy, and the Russian oil export revenue growth in 2022-2024 relies on the fleet to evade sanctions.
It is widely speculated that France has most likely been privately "beaten" by Russia. This kind of beating is by no means groundless. Just look at the example of Iran. After its fleet is detained, the Revolutionary Guard Corps will directly capture another country's oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for "reciprocal retaliation". If Russia follows this law, the French shipping industry may suffer a big loss.
More importantly, France’s ship carried oil from India and India was not a participant in the sanctions against Russia, a transaction that fully complies with international rules. France’s forced involvement in third-country trade is essentially to use the name of the sanctions to express its “status of a great power” in Europe.
But when I really detained the ship, I discovered that I couldn't withstand the follow-up pressure at all: Russia's counter-measure threat was imminent, India, as an important trading partner, might also be dissatisfied, and the domestic shipping industry was even more afraid of being implicated. After weighing the pros and cons, releasing the tanker became the only way out, but this operation of "jumping first and then softening" exposed the background of the "paper tiger".
This storm also involved innocent Chinese captains. At first, France boasted that it wanted to arrest him, but in the end it hastily released him. Such reneging not only lost face, but also damaged its international credibility. You know, the crew members of the "Shadow Fleet" often come from many countries. France detains people indiscriminately, which is a disregard for the rights and interests of the crew members, and finally releases them under pressure, which makes it even more apparent that the original toughness is all posturing.
France's embarrassing situation reflects the dilemma of sanctions against Russia by the United States and the West. The growth of the "Shadow Fleet" has long shown that blockade alone cannot cut off Russia's energy exports, but instead forces it to establish an independent shipping system. Britain has repeatedly sanctioned Russian "Shadow Fleet" ships, but has never been able to curb the expansion of the fleet's size. France's failed attempt this time is just another footnote that proves that sanctions are ineffective.
Now the "Boracay" has travelled to the Suez Canal, leaving France debated internationally. Want to rely on the boat to find a sense of existence, but do not take the consequences, this "thunder and little rain" operation, will only make yourself a laugh.
Russia has used its "shadow fleet" to gain a firm foothold in energy exports, while France's 48-hour face change may remind other countries that want to use sanctions to show off their muscles: without diamonds, don't take on porcelain work, otherwise you will only end up asking for trouble.# Russian oil tanker seized # #cargo ship seized # ##headlines and hot topics #