French navy boards ‘shadow fleet’ ship in Indian Ocean: Macron

The French navy boarded a vessel suspected of illegally smuggling oil in an operation off the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday.

Macron vowed no let up in the struggle against the “shadow fleet” — a term used for the clandestine network of ships used by Russia to circumvent Western embargoes since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“This morning, more than 450 nautical miles south of Reunion, our national Navy boarded the tanker DF Peak,” Macron posted on X along with a brief video of the operation.

Several European companies have intercepted ships carrying Russian oil in contravention of European sanctions targeting the vital revenue source.

New sanctions permit European Union members to sell the oil or any other cargo seized from the ships.

Moscow has bristled at the moves, with Russian President Vladimir Putin calling it “piracy and banditry”.