On Thursday, January 22, 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on social media that the French Navy (Marine nationale) had detained in the Mediterranean Sea a Russian tanker from the so-called Shadow Fleet, currently bearing the name Grinch (IMO 9288851).
A French NHI NH90 NFH helicopter landing on the deck of the tanker Grinch / Photo: Emmanuel Macron via X
“We will not tolerate any violation. This morning, the French Navy boarded an oil tanker coming from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag. The operation was conducted on the high seas in the Mediterranean, with the support of several of our allies. It was carried out in strict compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. A judicial investigation has been opened. The vessel has been diverted. We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions. The activities of the “shadow fleet” contribute to financing the war of aggression against Ukraine,” – wrote French president on X.
Nie będziemy tolerować żadnych naruszeń. Dziś rano francuska Marynarka Wojenna dokonała abordażu tankowca płynącego z Rosji, objętego międzynarodowymi sankcjami i podejrzanego o pływanie pod fałszywą banderą. Operacja została przeprowadzona na pełnym morzu na Morzu Śródziemnym, przy wsparciu kilku naszych sojuszników. Przeprowadzono ją w ścisłej zgodności z Konwencją Narodów Zjednoczonych o prawie morza. Wszczęto śledztwo. Statek został zawrócony z trasy. Jesteśmy zdeterminowani, aby przestrzegać prawa międzynarodowego i zapewnić skuteczne egzekwowanie sankcji. Działania „Floty Cieni” przyczyniają się do finansowania wojny agresywnej przeciwko Ukrainie – napisał francuski prezydent na platformie społecznościowej X.
Grinch is a fuel tanker built in 2004 by Samsung Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. It has been sailing since April 2025 under a false Comoros flag and is subject to international sanctions. The vessel is 249.87 m long, 43.8 m wide, with a gross tonnage of 62,965 tons and a deadweight of 115,635 DWT. Previously, as Carl, it sailed under the flags of Barbados (since September 2024), Gabon (since March 2024), and Liberia (since July 2022); as Carlton, under the flags of Germany (temporarily since December 2018) and the Marshall Islands (since December 2018); and as HS Tosca, under the flags of Malta (since October 2012), Germany (temporarily since October 2004), and Liberia (since October 2004). The vessel is officially owned by Cube Ventures Shipping of the Marshall Islands.
According to information on the Shadow Fleet compiled by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR MO) on the War & Sanctions information platform, during the period of the G7 oil embargo and the price cap on Russian oil, the tanker was involved in exporting Russian crude oil and petroleum products from Russian ports in the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and the Pacific, mainly to China, India, and other third countries. Documented port calls include Lanshan (China), Lianyungang (China), Mundra (India), Nakhodka (Russia), Yantai (China), Kozmino (Russia), Dongjiakou (China), Primorsk (Russia), Fujairah (United Arab Emirates), Paradip (India), Laizhou (China), Jamnagar–Sikka (India), Rongcheng (China), and Qingdao (China).
On January 10, 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on the vessel (OFAC). Similar measures were taken by the European Union on February 24, 2025; Switzerland on March 4, 2025; the United Kingdom (OFSI) on July 21, 2025; Canada in November 2025; and Ukraine on December 13, 2025.
In the past two months, only the United States (a total of six vessels to date) has detained tankers and fuel carriers under international sanctions linked to Russia, Venezuela, and Iran, while the United Kingdom has announced similar steps. Earlier detentions, limited to inspections of suspicious vessels in the context of undersea cable sabotage, were carried out by Finland, Estonia, and Germany in the Baltic Sea.
We will not tolerate any violation.
This morning, the French Navy boarded an oil tanker coming from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag.
The operation was conducted on the high seas in the Mediterranean,… pic.twitter.com/zhXVdzPx1r
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 22, 2026
📍Méditerranée | Intervention en haute mer de la @MarineNationale pour un contrôle de pavillon sur un pétrolier.
⚓ Déroutement sous escorte de la Marine nationale, sur demande du procureur de la République, afin de poursuivre les vérifications.
🛡️ Opération menée en… https://t.co/HI60rjDd6i pic.twitter.com/pwTd4cSZjE— Armée française – Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) January 22, 2026