French authorities have allowed the tanker Grinch (suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet circumventing sanctions) to leave French waters after paying a penalty worth "several million euros" and enduring three weeks of detention, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
The vessel was intercepted in the Mediterranean last month and anchored at Fos-sur-Mer over allegations of failing to fly a valid flag. The crew, of Indian nationality, remained on board during the investigation. French authorities said the owner company was sentenced to a financial penalty as part of a guilty plea procedure.
France and other nations have pledged to crack down on Russia's shadow fleet, a network of over 400 vessels used to evade sanctions linked to Moscow's war in Ukraine. Many ships are aged, registered under opaque entities, and sail under foreign flags. Barrot emphasized that "circumventing European sanctions comes at a price," signaling France's ongoing commitment to enforcing restrictions...
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