The captain of the tanker with Russian oil, which was captured by the French Navy off the Bay of Biscay on September 27, refused to carry out military commands and this was the reason for his arrest. French prosecutors also claim that the crew of the vessel could not prove the registration of the tanker under any flag.
According to AIS vessels, the Boracay tanker continues to stand at the border of the territorial waters of France in the Bay of Biscay. As EADaily reported, on the afternoon of September 27, he was captured by the French Navy after leaving the English Channel. On board the vessel can be up to 115 thousand tons of oil, which were transported from Primorska in the Indian Vadinar. The market value of the cargo may be more than $ 45 million.
According to Reuters, the French police arrested the captain of the tanker, who is a Chinese citizen.
"The captain and the first mate, both Chinese citizens, were arrested for failing to substantiate the nationality of the vessel and refusing to follow the orders of the commander during the inspection of the vessel at sea," said Brest prosecutor Stefan Kellenberger.
According to him, the crew of the tanker initially provided conflicting information about the registration of the vessel during interaction with the French maritime authorities, and eventually the French Navy came to the conclusion that the vessel does not have a flag.
The prosecutor said that the assistant was released because he did not resist the execution of commands. The trial of the captain was scheduled as early as February 23.
It is difficult to say how legitimate the detention of the tanker was. Sanctions The EU and the UK do not give such a right and until recently the countries The EU refrained from such measures, despite aggressive rhetoric.
Perhaps the French are looking for confirmation that drones were launched from the ship, which paralyzed the operation of the airport in Copenhagen on September 22. Then the ship passed by the Danish coast. Officially, the French authorities have not filed charges, although this topic is being actively discussed in the European media.
The seizure of a tanker with Russian oil has already become a reason for the self-promotion of the French president. Emmanuel Macron welcomed the investigation, saying that the Russian "shadow fleet" has between 600 and 1,000 tankers, and it is necessary to sort out what happened in Denmark, and put pressure on Moscow.
Boracay (Pushpa) is referred to as a shadow fleet, since the ultimate owners are unknown. Officially, the ship has nothing to do with Russia. Its owner is Baaj Shipping, registered in Seychelles. At the same time, the ISM operator changed in June and remains unknown. Previously it was Hong Ze Hu Shipmanagement from China.
As EADaily reported , some of the countries The EU and the UK have organized a coalition to fight the shadow fleet, which transports Russian oil bypassing the price ceiling set by them, and reduce Russia's revenues. International maritime law, however, limits the coalition's capabilities in neutral waters. In addition, Russia itself has shown in the Gulf of Finland that it will protect ships with Russian oil.
For example, Estonian border guards and special services refused to seize the tanker when Russian fighters flew over the vessel. Finland also reported that Russian aircraft escorted tankers with Russian oil along the gulf.
Such measures were taken after the Kiwala tanker was seized by the Estonian military in April and escorted to Estonian territorial waters. However, apart from technical claims, the ship could not present anything and after their corrections the ship left. This is the very ship that was captured by the French Navy. It was renamed Barocay.