After arresting the Chinese captain, the French Army Chief of Staff warned: Prepare for war!
On October 1, 2025, the French Navy took action in the immediate vicinity of its own waters, sent 12 Special Forces soldiers on a helicopter landing, took control of the cockpit in 90 seconds, and drove the ship into the port of Saint-Nazaire – the NATO’s core military base, even foreign communications must be approved.
Trouble see the official gentlemen in the upper right corner and click on "attention", which is both convenient for you to discuss and share, but can bring you more quality content, thank you for your support!
The legality of this French maritime operation is really questionable. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, ships on the high seas are, in principle, subject only to the jurisdiction of the flag state.
But France has played a legal trick by expanding the legal framework for combating piracy, expanding the scope of “serious violations” to circumvention of sanctions.
The oil tanker flying the flag of Benin departed from the port of Primorsk in Russia and plans to head for the port of Wadinar in India. It was included on the EU sanctions list because it belongs to Russia's huge "shadow fleet."
Russia's "shadow fleet" is its secret weapon in dealing with Western sanctions, consisting of 600-1,000 old oil tankers. They have built a huge energy smuggling network by flying the flags of different countries and frequently changing ship names and registration information.
It is estimated that these ships are responsible for 65% of Russia's crude oil export transportation, bringing tens of billions of euros in revenue to the Russian government every year.
It is no accident that France chose to seize the oil tanker at the Port of Saint-Nazaire, the home port of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Escorting civilian oil tankers to military bases itself sends a strong signal of military deterrence.
French prosecutors on October 2 revealed that they had filed a lawsuit against the Chinese captain of the Long Beach Island tanker, who has been released, but captain Mi Wang will have to wait until next February to appear in court for trial.
The reason for the prosecution appears to be the crown prince – the captain “cannot prove the tanker’s identity” and “does not follow the instructions of the French authorities”.
The "Shadow Fleet" ships are known for frequently changing ship names and registration information, which is their routine operation to circumvent sanctions. Flag State jurisdiction is a basic principle of the law of the sea. Why does France require a foreign ship to prove its registry to it?
Even more playful, in the face of this obvious provocation, the reaction from the Russian side was exceptionally cool.The Kremlin said it had no information about the ships being discussed.
This attitude of "no recognition, no explanation" just exposes the secret nature of the "shadow fleet"-Russia does not recognize these ships as its own at all.
The Chinese captain became a victim of the game of great powers and was trapped between the two permanent members of the United Nations, France and Russia.
Just as the seizure of the oil tanker continued to ferment, General Pierre Schill, chief of staff of the French Army, suddenly issued a shocking warning. He publicly stated that the military must be ready for high-intensity war "as early as tonight".
He also unabashedly pointed out that France could engage in a direct military confrontation with Russia for defending its NATO allies in Eastern Europe.
The timing of this warning is no coincidence. It resonates wonderfully with the seizure of the oil tanker and together constitutes a combination of France's strength against Russia.
Upon careful analysis, General Scheer's remarks have multiple purposes. It aims to justify the French military's efforts to secure more budgets and resources, while also instilling a sense of crisis in the domestic population and preparing for a possible escalation of conflict.
More importantly, it’s a gesture of showing French leadership to NATO allies, especially in the context of an increasing U.S. focus on the Asia-Pacific, where Europe needs its own “hard faction.”
However, the combination of these war rhetoric and the seizure of ships at sea has undoubtedly exacerbated the danger of the situation. This kind of behavior that adds fuel to the fire obviously does not conform to the current mainstream call of the international community for peace.
The French action is not an isolated emergency, but part of NATO's overall strategic transformation. In December 2024, NATO set up an amphibious operations center in the northern Norwegian city of Seresa.
This is seen as another important initiative by NATO to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic.
Even more remarkable is the fact that NATO has deployed 40 drones and more than 30 underwater surveillance devices to track Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the operation, which was launched in 2025.
French Admiral Vandier revealed that NATO is testing unmanned surface equipment cluster technology in an attempt to crack Russia's covert transportation network through "robot-assisted surveillance."
In this context, France's seizure of the oil tanker "Boracay" is likely to be the first actual combat test of NATO's new monitoring system. France is willing to be the "Depth Charge" of this test, and there are strategic considerations behind it.
Macron has been trying to promote Europe's "strategic autonomy" and hopes that France will play a leading role in it. This high-profile attack on Russia's "shadow fleet" is an opportunity to demonstrate France's ability and determination.
On October 1, 2025, the French Navy took action in the immediate vicinity of its own waters, sent 12 Special Forces soldiers on a helicopter landing, took control of the cockpit in 90 seconds, and drove the ship into the port of Saint-Nazaire – the NATO’s core military base, even foreign communications must be approved.
Trouble see the official gentlemen in the upper right corner and click on "attention", which is both convenient for you to discuss and share, but can bring you more quality content, thank you for your support!
The legality of this French maritime operation is really questionable. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, ships on the high seas are, in principle, subject only to the jurisdiction of the flag state.
But France has played a legal trick by expanding the legal framework for combating piracy, expanding the scope of “serious violations” to circumvention of sanctions.
The oil tanker flying the flag of Benin departed from the port of Primorsk in Russia and plans to head for the port of Wadinar in India. It was included on the EU sanctions list because it belongs to Russia's huge "shadow fleet."
Russia's "shadow fleet" is its secret weapon in dealing with Western sanctions, consisting of 600-1,000 old oil tankers. They have built a huge energy smuggling network by flying the flags of different countries and frequently changing ship names and registration information.
It is estimated that these ships are responsible for 65% of Russia's crude oil export transportation, bringing tens of billions of euros in revenue to the Russian government every year.
It is no accident that France chose to seize the oil tanker at the Port of Saint-Nazaire, the home port of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Escorting civilian oil tankers to military bases itself sends a strong signal of military deterrence.
French prosecutors on October 2 revealed that they had filed a lawsuit against the Chinese captain of the Long Beach Island tanker, who has been released, but captain Mi Wang will have to wait until next February to appear in court for trial.
The reason for the prosecution appears to be the crown prince – the captain “cannot prove the tanker’s identity” and “does not follow the instructions of the French authorities”.
The "Shadow Fleet" ships are known for frequently changing ship names and registration information, which is their routine operation to circumvent sanctions. Flag State jurisdiction is a basic principle of the law of the sea. Why does France require a foreign ship to prove its registry to it?
Even more playful, in the face of this obvious provocation, the reaction from the Russian side was exceptionally cool.The Kremlin said it had no information about the ships being discussed.
This attitude of "no recognition, no explanation" just exposes the secret nature of the "shadow fleet"-Russia does not recognize these ships as its own at all.
The Chinese captain became a victim of the game of great powers and was trapped between the two permanent members of the United Nations, France and Russia.
Just as the seizure of the oil tanker continued to ferment, General Pierre Schill, chief of staff of the French Army, suddenly issued a shocking warning. He publicly stated that the military must be ready for high-intensity war "as early as tonight".
He also unabashedly pointed out that France could engage in a direct military confrontation with Russia for defending its NATO allies in Eastern Europe.
The timing of this warning is no coincidence. It resonates wonderfully with the seizure of the oil tanker and together constitutes a combination of France's strength against Russia.
Upon careful analysis, General Scheer's remarks have multiple purposes. It aims to justify the French military's efforts to secure more budgets and resources, while also instilling a sense of crisis in the domestic population and preparing for a possible escalation of conflict.
More importantly, it’s a gesture of showing French leadership to NATO allies, especially in the context of an increasing U.S. focus on the Asia-Pacific, where Europe needs its own “hard faction.”
However, the combination of these war rhetoric and the seizure of ships at sea has undoubtedly exacerbated the danger of the situation. This kind of behavior that adds fuel to the fire obviously does not conform to the current mainstream call of the international community for peace.
The French action is not an isolated emergency, but part of NATO's overall strategic transformation. In December 2024, NATO set up an amphibious operations center in the northern Norwegian city of Seresa.
This is seen as another important initiative by NATO to strengthen its military presence in the Arctic.
Even more remarkable is the fact that NATO has deployed 40 drones and more than 30 underwater surveillance devices to track Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the operation, which was launched in 2025.
French Admiral Vandier revealed that NATO is testing unmanned surface equipment cluster technology in an attempt to crack Russia's covert transportation network through "robot-assisted surveillance."
In this context, France's seizure of the oil tanker "Boracay" is likely to be the first actual combat test of NATO's new monitoring system. France is willing to be the "Depth Charge" of this test, and there are strategic considerations behind it.
Macron has been trying to promote Europe's "strategic autonomy" and hopes that France will play a leading role in it. This high-profile attack on Russia's "shadow fleet" is an opportunity to demonstrate France's ability and determination.