France Detains Russia-Linked Oil Tanker in Atlantic

French authorities detained a Russia-linked oil tanker in the Atlantic on Sunday morning after its captain repeatedly refused orders to stop. The Tagor was intercepted more than 400 nautical miles west of Brittany in international waters. Officials said the ship was falsely flying a Cameroonian flag and was traveling from Murmansk, Russia, toward Limbe in Cameroon.

Seizure details Prosecutors in Brest opened a criminal investigation over failure to prove the vessel's nationality and refusal to comply. The Atlantic maritime prefecture said the boarding proved necessary and that the ship is now being escorted to an anchorage point for further checks.

The vessel had 23 crew members aboard. It previously flew the flags of Madagascar, the Marshall Islands, and Panama.

org as linked to petroleum shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani. Officials declined to comment when asked about those ties. The ship is under European Union and U.S. sanctions. It is suspected of carrying Russian or Iranian oil in violation of international restrictions imposed after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than 4 years.”