Captain of detained tanker Grinch taken into custody

France has taken into custody the captain of the detained tanker Grinch, which is part of the so-called “shadow fleet” of Russia.

This was reported by the Marseille prosecutor’s office, writes BFMTV.

“After the deviation from the course of the oil tanker Grinch and its arrival in the bay of Fos-sur-Mer, the captain of the vessel was handed over to the judicial authorities,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The Marseille prosecutor’s office, together with investigators from the maritime gendarmerie, will conduct a number of checks. In particular, the investigation is aimed at “verifying the validity of the flag under which the tanker is sailing and the documents.” Other crew members, who, like the captain, have Indian citizenship, will remain on board.

The Grinch tanker is currently anchored near the oil terminal of the port of Marseille-Fos under the protection of the Navy.

According to the Marinetraffic website, the oil-laden vessel, flagged to the Comoros, was sailing from Murmansk when it was detained in international waters.

As a reminder, on January 22, the French Navy arrested a tanker bound for Russia and subject to international sanctions. It later emerged that the UK had provided support in tracking the sanctioned tanker Grinch.