France Targets Shadow Tankers with Stiffer Penalties for False Flag
France is reported to be pursuing legislation to stiffen the penalties for vessels flying false flags or failing to comply with the instructions of the authorities. It comes after France has detained three shadow fleet tankers in the past seven months in an effort to crack down on violations of the sanctions on the Russian oil industry.
The French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Wednesday that it had seen draft legislation that calls for the tightening of the penalties against ships suspected of operating under a false flag. According to the report, the fines would be doubled to €300,000 ($350,000) and could result in up to two years in prison. If the lives of the individuals boarding the vessel are placed in danger, the new legislation would increase the fines to €700,000 ($818,000) and a prison sentence of up to seven years.
In addition to increasing the penalties, the law also clarifies responsibility. It extends the definition to any person “who exercises power of control or management” over the vessel’s operations, AFP reports.
This appears to be a direct outgrowth of the incident in September 2025 when France moved to stop a notorious shadow fleet tanker, which at the time was using the name Boracay. Reports said the captain refused to obey orders and initially tried to block the boarding of the vessel by French troops. Ultimately, they were able to stop the ship and direct it into territorial waters, where it was held for several days.
The master of the Boracay, a Chinese citizen, was arrested and ordered to stand trial in February 2026. He was sentenced in absentia to one year in prison, and an arrest warrant was issued.
French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken out about the need to intervene to curtail the shadow tanker fleet. He said stopping the vessels even for a few days would disrupt the economics, and is reported to have been advocating that the European Union become more active in its efforts to enforce regulations on the shadow fleet.
In January 2026, France detained another shadow fleet tanker, the Grinch, but later released it with a fine. Two months later, it again stopped a tanker, the Deyna, in the Mediterranean. This tanker, which reported it was sailing under the flag of Mozambique, shows that it is still in the Fos Sur Mer anchorage three weeks after it was detained.
AFP reports the legislation is currently being reviewed by the French Parliament. It is expected to come up for debate and then a vote for adoption on July 14.
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Estonia and Germany were leaders in the efforts, having challenged and detained tankers last year. Sweden has also recently acted, stopping two vessels last month that it suspected were operating under false flags. Both remain under detention until they can provide proof of legitimate registries and insurance, and one was also found to have deficiencies during a Port State inspection. Sweden also briefly held a tanker suspected of causing an oil spill in the Baltic but released it, saying it could not confirm the details and citing the limitations of international treaties.
Belgium, also with France’s assistance, recently detained a product tanker that it believed was operating under a false flag, but released it with a fine. The United Kingdom recently said it completed its legal review and has threatened, but so far has not acted, to seize tankers transiting the English Channel sailing under a false flag.