The French Navy said on September 30 that the country’s authorities are investigating violations committed by the Benin-flagged oil tanker Boracay, a vessel that is under anti-Russian sanctions by the United Kingdom and the European Union.

“Following the suspicion of an offense committed by the Boracay vessel, a report was filed with the relevant prosecutor’s office in Brest. The investigation is ongoing,” the French Navy said in a statement, Reuters reports .

The UK and the EU imposed separate sanctions against the tanker in October 2024 and February 2025 .

The European Union said the vessel was involved in the transport of Russian crude oil and petroleum products, “engaging in irregular and high-risk shipping practices.”

The UK said the vessel was “engaged in activities the purpose or effect of which is to destabilise Ukraine […] or to benefit from or support the Russian government” while transporting oil or petroleum products of Russian origin from Russia to a third country.

The vessel, which changed its name to Boracay or in some shipping databases Pushpa in December 2024, was previously called Kiwala. The vessels retain the same IMO identification number throughout their service life but change names .

The crude oil tanker, built in 2007, is currently anchored off the Atlantic coast of western France, near Saint-Nazaire.

The Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy of Ukraine, Vladyslav Vlasyuk, for his part, noted that the ship is linked to the “shadow fleet” that Russia uses to circumvent sanctions and transport oil.

“I would say that the tanker is definitely actually detained and is currently anchored off the Atlantic coast, near Saint-Nazaire. Moreover, this vessel was probably involved in launching drones over the territory of Denmark ,” Vlasyuk said.

Earlier in September, it was reported that Russia was building up a “shadow fleet” of old tankers with opaque ownership, which allows it to sell oil despite restrictions and price “ceilings”. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, about 17% of the world’s existing tanker fleet is already operating in the “shadow”. The number of such vessels increased to 940 at the beginning of the year, which is 45% more than a year earlier.

Previously, the United Kingdom announced a new package of anti-Russian sanctions targeting the Russian “shadow fleet” of oil tankers.

Author:  Halyna Yalivets Джерело: https://censor.net/n3577070

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