Russian tanker seized by France arrives in Marseille for further investigation
The Deyna, a tanker from Russia's so-called shadow fleet seized by the French military, has arrived at the port of Marseille-Fos, where it will be handed over to judicial authorities for further investigation.
Source: Le Figaro, as cited by European Pravda
Details: The Deyna, sailing under the Mozambican flag, arrived at the port of Marseille on the morning of 23 March to be handed over to the law enforcement authorities.
The French Mediterranean maritime prefecture said that it would be anchored and made available to the Marseille prosecutor as part of a preliminary investigation.
No-fly and no-sail zones have been established around the vessel's mooring area, the authorities added.
On 20 March, it became known that France, with the support of the United Kingdom, had seized the tanker Deyna in the Mediterranean Sea. The vessel, which belongs to Russia's shadow fleet of tankers, had departed from the Russian port of Murmansk.
The seizure was carried out under Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on suspicion that the tanker was using a false flag.
This is already the second case this year in which France has seized a tanker linked to Russia's shadow fleet.
Background:
- On 22 January France, also with UK support, seized the tanker Grinch near the coast of Spain after checking documents that confirmed suspicions about the vessel's false flag. The tanker belongs to Russia's shadow fleet and is under EU and UK sanctions.
- Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron had told him about plans to release the tanker Grinch due to legal requirements.
- Media outlets have also reported that European countries are discussing the possibility of seizing tankers from Russia's shadow fleet.
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