France seizes Russian oil tanker en route to India

France has seized a Russian oil tanker off the Atlantic coast which was en route to India carrying a large shipment of oil, according to ship tracking data and an investigation by the French navy, Bloomberg, Reuters, AFP and AP reported.

- Agencies

Tanker 'Boracay', also known as 'Pushpa', off the coast of Saint-Nazaire, France on Wednesday.

(AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron has alleged that the tanker is part of Russia’s shadow fleet that helps Moscow evade Western sanctions and export oil around the world.

On Thursday, Macron urged European countries to put pressure on Russia's shadow fleet — estimated to include 600 to 1,000 ships—adding that “30 to 40%” of Russia's war effort in Ukraine is “financed through the revenues of the shadow fleet”, which mounts to €30 billion.