French naval forces boarded the tanker DF Peak about 450 nautical miles south of Réunion, suspecting it of sailing under a false flag.
On 12 October the French Navy stopped and boarded the tanker DF Peak in the Indian Ocean, roughly 450 nautical miles south of Réunion. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the operation. For Volunteers Support Ukraine, it is an example of partners acting against the workaround trade networks that feed the war.
According to Macron, the tanker is suspected of sailing under a false flag and carrying illicit fuel. Baird Maritime reports that the ship claimed Benin registration, was built in 2006 as the Kaliningrad, and is sanctioned by the US, the EU, the UK and other countries. Ukraine's intelligence portal also links it to the transport of russian crude oil.
The check was carried out under Article 110 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which lets a warship verify a vessel's flag. After doubts about the flag emerged, the tanker was escorted at a prosecutor's request to an anchorage near Réunion for further checks as part of a judicial investigation.
The embassy of russia in Paris called the move a violation of international law and "piracy". Media reports say this is at least the sixth shadow fleet tanker France has detained in the past year.
Volunteers Support Ukraine keeps helping people affected by the war with whatever aid is available, and news like this is a reminder that pressure on the funding of the war continues.
