France and the UK detained a shadowy tanker leaving Murmansk

For France, this is the fourth operation to seize vessels of the Russian “shadow fleet” since October 2025.

The French Navy, with the support of the United Kingdom, detained the Tagor tanker in the Atlantic Ocean on May 31. The vessel was heading from Murmansk, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

“It is unacceptable that vessels circumvent international sanctions, violate maritime law and finance the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years,” Macron wrote.

He also noted that the tankers of the Russian “shadow fleet” do not comply with “the most elementary rules of navigation” and “pose a threat to the environment and the safety of all people.” According to the VesselFinder service, the vessel flies the flag of Madagascar.

This is the fourth such operation by France since the fall of 2025. In October 2025, the French navy detained the tanker Boracay off the Atlantic coast, in January 2026 the Grinch in the Mediterranean, and in March the Mozambican-flagged Deyna. The UK participated in or supported all of these operations.

After the Grinch was detained, Macron acknowledged that France had been forced to release the vessel due to national law, and promised to change the laws so that detained tankers would remain under arrest in the future.

Recently, USM reported that Romania and Bulgaria were creating a hub to counter the Russian shadow fleet in the Black Sea.