France Releases Captain of Shadow Fleet Tanker After 24-Hour Detention
French prosecutors confirmed that the captain of the tanker Tagor, which France stopped on May 31, has been released. Prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger told the French news agency AFP that the captain had been held for approximately 24 hours and was released while the investigation continues into the tanker and its ownership.
The prosecutors said the release would allow the continuation of the investigation. Yesterday, they had said they were still working to confirm the ownership of the tanker, which claimed registry in Cameroon. The French authorities believe the ship was sailing under a false flag, while media reports have linked the ship to a network of Iranian companies. The unconfirmed reports link the Tagor to Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, whom the United States sanctioned last year, saying he had an extensive network of companies involved in the transport of sanctioned oil. He is the son of a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, both of whom were killed at the start of the U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign.
French prosecutors have said the captain, who is a Russian national, was facing charges for presenting false information after French troops boarded the tanker on Sunday. In addition, he is charged with not obeying orders from the French troops. He is facing up to one year in prison and a fine of approximately $175,000. The owners of the vessel could be subject to similar penalties.
While the captain was released from custody, the vessel remains under a detention order in Douarnenez Bay, south of Brest. The authorities have ordered an exclusion zone around the tanker and restricted the airspace near the vessel.
In March, a French court imposed similar penalties on a Chinese captain of the first shadow fleet tanker France detailed in September 2025. The captain was also briefly detained and released, and ordered to stand trial. He was sentenced in absentia when he failed to return to France for the trial.
The Russian Embassy in Paris was demanding the quick release of the Russian captain of the Tagor. They had called the charges false while Moscow asserted the intervention and detention of the tanker was “piracy.”
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France has been among the most aggressive nations in stopping the large tankers sailing in the shadow fleet. This was the fourth tanker directly stopped by the French, with each cited for sailing without a valid flag registry. The two tankers, Denya and Grinch, stopped in the Mediterranean and were released with fines.