On Friday, March 20, 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron said on social media that earlier that morning the Navy (Marine Nationale) had detained the Russian tanker Deyna (IMO: 9299903) in the Mediterranean Sea, part of the so-called Shadow Fleet. According to reports, the United Kingdom provided assistance.
Photos: Emmanuel Macron via X
“We are staying the course. The French Navy this morning seized another ship from the ghost fleet, the Deyna, in the Mediterranean. The war in Iran will not divert France from supporting Ukraine where Russia’s war of aggression continues. These ships, which circumvent international sanctions and violate the law of the sea, are war profiteers. They seek to amass profits and finance the Russian war effort. We will not allow this,” – French president wrote on X.
According to its current position, the vessel is located north of Algeria and south of the Balearic Islands.
Deyna is a fuel tanker built in 2005, currently sailing under a false Mozambican flag. Since March 1, it had been on a voyage from Murmansk to Port Said, Egypt. The vessel is 249 meters long, 44.07 meters wide, with a gross tonnage of 62,477 and a deadweight of 111,808 DWT. Prior to March 2024, when it was still legally registered, it sailed under the same name under the Panamanian flag. Earlier, as Deep Blue, it operated under the flags of Indonesia and Niue (until August 2020), as well as Greece (until June 2005, and previously until April of the same year as Delta Blue).
According to information on the so-called Shadow Fleet collected by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (HUR MO) and published via the War & Sanctions platform, the vessel called at Russian ports during the period of the G7 oil embargo and the price cap on Russian crude.
The tanker is linked to Sino Ship Management Company Limited, which was sanctioned by the United States on January 10, 2025, for operating in the energy sector of the Russian economy, with restrictions also imposed on the vessel. Additional sanctions were subsequently introduced by the European Union (May 20, 2025), Switzerland (June 3, 2025), the United Kingdom (July 21, 2025), Canada (November 2025), and Ukraine (sanctions on the vessel on December 13, 2025, and on the ship’s captain on February 21, 2026).
The vessel has called at the following ports: Ardjuna oil field (Indonesia), Belawan (Indonesia), Cilacap (Indonesia), Cinta oil terminal (Indonesia), Dumai (Indonesia), Lawi-Lawi Terminal (Indonesia), Novorossiysk (Russia), Yantai (China), Port Said (Egypt), Suez (Egypt), Akcansa Canakkale (Turkey), Kozmino (Russia), Dongjiakou (China), Primorsk (Russia), Tanjong Pagar (Singapore), Bedi Bunder (India), Adabiya (Egypt), Sikka (India), New Mangalore (India), Jamnagar–Sikka (India), Batu Ampar (Indonesia), and Gelendzhik (Russia).
This is another Shadow Fleet tanker linked to Russia, Venezuela, and Iran to be detained by Western countries. Previously, the United States detained eight vessels (most recently on February 8, one of which has since been released). On January 22, France detained the tanker Grinch in the Mediterranean (released on February 17 after paying a substantial fine), and on March 1, Belgium, with assistance from France, detained the vessel Ethera. The United Kingdom had announced similar measures and has now acted, assisting France in detaining Deyna. Earlier, Finland, Estonia, and Germany had conducted detentions for inspection purposes in the Baltic Sea in connection with suspected subsea cable sabotage.
Nous gardons le cap.
La Marine française a arraisonné ce matin en Méditerranée un nouveau bateau de la flotte fantôme, le Deyna.
La guerre en Iran ne détournera pas la France du soutien à l’Ukraine où la guerre d’agression de la Russie se poursuit.… pic.twitter.com/ZylRHZ8zHw
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 20, 2026
📍Méditerranée | La @MarineNationale intervient en haute mer pour contrôler le pavillon d'un pétrolier-cargo en provenance de Mourmansk ⚓
🎯 Vérification de la nationalité du navire, soupçonné d'arborer un faux pavillon
➡️ Confirmation des doutes quant à la régularité du… https://t.co/WhGy5lINoh pic.twitter.com/qoWz5xh4M4— Armée française – Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) March 20, 2026
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