French Navy Detains Russian “Shadow Fleet” Tanker in Indian Ocean
13.10.2026 - 11:07
The French Navy has stopped the tanker DF Peak in the Indian Ocean, suspected of using a false flag and illegally transporting fuel.
This was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The operation was carried out more than 450 nautical miles south of the island of Reunion. The French military boarded the vessel on the high seas to verify its belonging to the declared flag state.
According to French media, the DF Peak was flying the flag of Benin. A check of the documents increased doubts about the legality of its use, after which the materials were transferred to the Saint-Denis prosecutor’s office.
At the request of the prosecutor’s office, the tanker changed course. It is being escorted to an anchorage near Reunion for further inspection. All 21 crew members remained on board under the supervision of the French military.
Macron said the operation was carried out in accordance with international maritime law and that France would continue to fight the “shadow fleet” in various regions of the world.
DF Peak, IMO 9341067, is listed in the Defense Intelligencew database “War and Sanctions” as a vessel of the Russian “shadow fleet”. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the tanker was transporting Russian oil and is associated with the sanctioned “Sovkomflot”. DF Peak itself is also under US and EU sanctions.
Earlier, Sweden released a tanker suspected of belonging to the Russian “shadow fleet”.
