French navy boards Russian shadow fleet tanker Deliver off the coast of Sicily

The interception

French forces boarded the tanker Deliver on Tuesday as it transited waters off Sicily. President Emmanuel Macron disclosed the operation on Thursday in a post on X, stating the ship was in breach of the law of the sea. The vessel was flying the flag of Cameroon and, according to Ukrainian military intelligence, has been carrying Russian crude since 2024 between Baltic and Black Sea ports.

On Tuesday, the French navy boarded the oil tanker Deliver as it was passing off the coast of Sicily in breach of the law of the sea.

Shadow fleet and sanctions evasion

The Deliver is part of what Western governments call Russia's shadow fleet: hundreds of aging tankers with opaque ownership and questionable insurance. These ships allow Moscow to export oil despite sanctions imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The EU alone lists roughly 590 shadow-fleet vessels on its sanctions register.

We will not allow the shadow fleet to evade sanctions and finance Russia's war effort.

European enforcement intensifies

The boarding of the Deliver is France's fifth shadow-fleet interception since September 2025, with the previous operation conducted less than a month ago. Days before the Deliver was stopped, UK forces boarded the tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel. That six-hour operation involved Royal Marines, National Crime Agency officers, military helicopters and Royal Navy ships.

Kremlin pushes back

The Kremlin said it would examine all legal options to prevent Russian oil from the Smyrtos being auctioned to fund Ukraine. The Daily Telegraph reported that the British government could sell 100,000 tonnes of crude from the Smyrtos at auction.

Environmental and safety risks

Beyond sanctions enforcement, the shadow fleet raises environmental concerns. The vessels are often poorly maintained and lack adequate insurance, increasing the risk of a major spill.