Captain of Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker sentenced to one year in prison

In France, the Chinese captain of the Boracay tanker of the Russian “shadow fleet” was sentenced to a year in prison.

The captain was sentenced to one year in prison by the Brest criminal court for “refusal to carry out orders,” reports “European Truth.”

Also, 39-year-old Chen Zhangjie, who was not present at the reading of the verdict, was fined 150,000 euros. The court issued a warrant for his arrest.

Deputy prosecutor Gabriel Rollin said that during the detention of the vessel, French servicemen encountered “particularly unfriendly behavior from the captain,” which forced them to perform “a dangerous maneuver that could have led to an accident.”

Zhangjie is accused of refusing to comply when the French Navy attempted to inspect his 244-meter vessel, which was not flying a visible flag, on September 27, 2025, while it was in international waters near Ushant Island.

The sanctioned ship Boracay, which was carrying Russian oil to India, raised a false flag of Benin before boarding the military. The ship was carrying two employees of a Russian private security company, whose task was to monitor the crew and gather intelligence.

During the hearing, Chen Zhangjie’s lawyer, Henri de Richemont, insisted on his client’s acquittal, arguing that France could not try him for events that took place in international waters.