France releases Russian shadow fleet tanker after fine paid

French prosecutors have announced the release of the Grinch, a suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker which was detained in January.

Source: French newspaper Le Figaro, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The Grinch, which had been held since late January in the Gulf of Fos near the oil terminal at the Port of Marseille-Fos, was released after a fine was paid, the Marseille prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.

In a joint statement, the prosecutor's office, the Bouches-du-Rhône Prefecture and the Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture said: "The company that owns the vessel was convicted by the Marseille court under a guilty plea procedure (CRPC) and fined." The amount of the fine was not disclosed.

Background:

• On 22 January, France, with the support of the United Kingdom, detained the Grinch off the coast of Spain after inspecting documents that confirmed suspicions the vessel was sailing under a false flag. The tanker is part of Russia's shadow fleet and is subject to EU and UK sanctions.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron had told him about plans to release the tanker due to legal requirements.
• At the end of January, a group of 14 European countries issued a public warning to Russian shadow fleet tankers sailing in the Baltic and North Seas.

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