France Arrests Russian Captain After Detaining Shadow Fleet Tanker
French prosecutors confirmed that they have taken the master of the shadow fleet tanker detained on Sunday into custody as the investigation continues. The arrest of the captain of the tanker Tagor was met with immediate protests from Russia’s embassy in Paris.
The tanker Tagor was boarded by the French Navy on May 31 while sailing off the Atlantic coast. The vessel was coming from Murmansk, Russia, and was stopped by the authorities, who said they believed the vessel was operating under a false flag. An initial investigation after boarding the ship confirmed the suspicions, and the tanker was directed to sail to a bay south of Brest, France, in the Brittany region.
The Tagor arrived off France on Tuesday, June 2, and the local prosecutor reported that the master was taken into custody shortly afterward. The master is facing charges that could carry one year in prison and a fine of up to $174,000. In March, a French court found the master of another shadow fleet tanker and imposed those sentences in absentia on the Chinese national.
Prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger said in a statement that they were still working to formally identify the owner of the tanker. He said the owner could face the same penalties.
The French news agency AFP is reporting that the Tagor is likely controlled by a network linked to Iran and the son of a now deceased senior advisor to the Supreme Leader, who was killed at the start of the current war. Last year, the United States sanctioned Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, reporting that he ran a network of companies involved in the transport of Iranian oil.
The Tagor is under sanctions from the United States, the UK, and the EU. Its registry has been listed by the databases as being false since at least August 2025. It is listed as having claimed Guinea and Madagascar, and now French authorities are saying the master told them the ship was registered in Cameroon.
The Russian Embassy in Paris posted a statement calling the charges “unfounded accusations” and said the arrest reiterated the false charges. It demanded consular access to the captain and that his release take place as soon as possible. Russian officials in Moscow have referred to the seizure as piracy.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
Based on images released by the French, the vessel appears to be traveling empty with only ballast. Its AIS signal had said it was heading to Africa but has now been deleted.
France began stopping shadow fleet tankers last year. It has now stopped four vessels. Two vessels stopped in the Mediterranean were detained and later released after paying a fine. French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken about the financial cost to the shadow fleet operations from just delaying the vessels for a few days.