French forces bring Russian oil tanker to Douarnenez Bay for investigation

A Russian-owned oil tanker, Tagor, suspected of flying a false Cameroonian flag, has been intercepted at sea by French forces, prompting a judicial investigation and renewed scrutiny of sanctions evasion at sea.

French authorities brought the vessel to Douarnenez Bay in Brittany, where it arrived on June 2 morning and is now under judicial custody as part of an ongoing investigation, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

The tanker had been detained the previous day on suspicion of using a falsified Cameroonian flag and violating international sanctions imposed on Russia.

The vessel, described as part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” was reportedly en route from Murmansk to Limbe in Cameroon when it was intercepted more than 740 kilometers west of Brittany. French naval forces carried out the boarding operation in cooperation with foreign partners, citing provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“The captain of the vessel – a Russian citizen – repeatedly refused to comply with the orders of the French military,” authorities said.

According to French officials, the interception is part of broader efforts to counter sanctions evasion linked to Russian oil exports. President Emmanuel Macron said France is prepared to “constantly and decisively fight the Russian shadow fleet,” which he said is used by Moscow to bypass Western sanctions and finance its war against Ukraine.

The Tagor case marks the fourth such detention of a Russian-linked tanker by French authorities. Earlier incidents include the detention of the vessels Deyna and Grinch in the Mediterranean Sea in March and January 2026, as well as the tanker Boracay in September 2025.

French naval forces are currently escorting the sanctioned oil tanker to a designated mooring site for further inspections.

By Vafa Guliyeva