French Navy escorts detained tanker Grinch to Port of Marseille for investigation

The tanker Grinch, detained by the French Navy on suspicion of flag irregularities, was escorted to the cargo port of Marseille.

Footage broadcast by the channel showed the vessel anchored at a distance from the shore, with a French Navy ship positioned nearby. It was noted that the tanker arrived at an anchorage area near the Port of Marseille-Fos at around 9:00 p.m. local time on January 24, Caliber.Az reports via French media.

According to the maritime prefecture for the Mediterranean zone, the vessel was “placed at the disposal of the Marseille prosecutor’s office” for a preliminary investigation. Around the Grinch’s anchorage near the oil terminal at the Port of Marseille-Fos, “restricted zones for navigation and flights” were established.

The prosecutor’s office is set to carry out inspections together with investigators from the maritime gendarmerie to determine the vessel’s ownership. Media reports said that at the time of its detention, the tanker was sailing under the flag of the Comoros Islands.

By Khagan Isayev