French Navy boards Russian-linked tanker DF Peak in Indian Ocean
French forces intercepted the DF Peak, a tanker sailing under a false Benin flag and subject to multiple sanctions, and placed it under escort south of Réunion.
The French Navy boarded the crude-oil tanker DF Peak on Oct. 12 about 450 nautical miles south of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. French President Emmanuel Macron said the vessel was part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet and was carrying fuel that is subject to U.S., EU, Swiss, Canadian and Japanese sanctions.
"France is determined to combat the ghost fleet, wherever it may be in the world," Macron wrote on X, adding that the operation was carried out in line with international maritime law.
The ship, formerly named Kaliningrad, had been sailing under the flag of Benin, according to Ukraine's Defense Intelligence War and Sanctions portal. French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said the vessel is now under French escort.
"International law is not optional. Our armed forces are fully mobilized to enforce it and combat illicit activities at sea," Vautrin posted on X.
The DF Peak is one of several aging tankers that Western authorities allege Moscow uses to evade sanctions and generate revenue from oil sales amid the conflict in Ukraine.