France releases “shadow fleet” tanker Grinch

France has released the Grinch tanker under sanctions after the owner paid a multi-million fine.

This was reported by Liga Business with reference to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot.

“Circumventing European sanctions is expensive. Russia will no longer be able to finance its war with impunity with the help of a “shadow” fleet off our coast. The Grinch oil tanker will leave French waters after paying several million euros and three weeks of expensive parking in Fos-sur-Mer,” he said.

Earlier, USM reported that the captain of the detained Grinch tanker was taken into custody.

As we will recall, on January 22, the French Navy arrested a tanker heading from Russia and subject to international sanctions. Later, it became known that the United Kingdom provided support in tracking the Grinch tanker under sanctions.

At the end of January, French President Emmanuel Macron warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he would be forced to release a detained tanker belonging to the Russian “shadow fleet.”