French authorities have placed the captain of the oil tanker GRINCH (IMO: 9288851) — a vessel tied to Russia’s “shadow fleet” and sailing from Murmansk - in custody, BFM TV reported, citing the Marseille prosecutor’s office.
According to Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Besson, the ship’s captain, an Indian national, was detained on the evening of January 24 after the tanker reached the anchorage in Fos Bay near the Marseille-Fos oil terminal. The French Navy turned him over to judicial authorities.
Prosecutors said a preliminary investigation was opened on January 22 into violations of state flag requirements. The case is being handled by the Toulon maritime gendarmerie’s investigative section together with the Marseille Ship Safety Center. The rest of the crew, also Indian nationals, remains on board.
Investigators say GRINCH sailed under a false Comoros flag, and describe the vessel’s legal status as showing a “proven and persistent violation of the law.” The Insider previously found the tanker had changed flags at least five times over the past two years — the Marshall Islands, Liberia, Gabon, Barbados and the Comoros.
The French Navy intercepted the tanker in the Mediterranean between Spain and North Africa. The Navy said the ship was en route from Murmansk and was detained during an operation carried out with allied support, including the United Kingdom.
GRINCH is under sanctions from the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.” It appears under that name in U.K. sanctions documents, while EU and U.S. lists identify it by its previous name, Carl. Built in 2004, the vessel has been used to export petroleum products, including to China and India, according to French sources. French authorities earlier said the tanker was brought to the French coast and handed over to the Marseille prosecutor’s office for further investigation.
