This Thursday French naval forces boarded and diverted the Russian-linked oil tanker Grinch (IMO 9288851), which is subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag. It marks the first known seizure of a crude shipment loaded in Russia’s Arctic under Western sanctions.
The Grinch, built in 2004 and 249 meters long, is registered under a Comoros flag and is included in the sanctions lists of the U.S., EU, UK, and other Western governments. The vessel loaded Arctic crude at Murmansk on December 26, 2025, then sailed south along the Norwegian coastline, through the North Sea and Atlantic, before entering the western Mediterranean via the Strait of Gibraltar. It was intercepted off Spanish waters.
French authorities, with intelligence support from the United Kingdom and other allies, boarded the vessel on the high seas under Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The inspection confirmed suspicions regarding the vessel’s false flag.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated: “We will not tolerate any violation,” emphasizing that activities by sanctioned vessels help finance Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The Grinch is part of the so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers, often used to circumvent sanctions by turning off AIS transponders, sailing under false flags, or using opaque ownership structures.
French authorities are escorting the tanker to Marseille for inspection, while a judicial investigation is underway. Officials have not specified whether the cargo itself will be confiscated.
