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France Boards Sanctioned Shadow Fleet Tanker in the Atlantic

French troops boarding shadow fleet tanker
French troops boarded the tanker as it was sailing in the Atlantic (Chef d'Etat-Major des Armées)

Published Jun 1, 2026 12:24 PM by The Maritime Executive


French troops on May 31 boarded a sanctioned crude oil tanker suspected of sailing under a false flag. The tanker named Tagor (114,800 dwt) is being redirected to an anchorage near Brest, France, and marks the fourth time since September 2025 that France has intercepted a shadow tanker and brought it into French waters for prosecution, in addition to aiding Belgium in a similar effort.

The prefect for the Atlantic region reports that the tanker, which was built in 2005, was intercepted more than 400 nautical miles west of Brittany while it was traveling from Murmansk, Russia. Its AIS signal showed the vessel was heading to Cameroon, saying its status was “for orders.”

The French authorities are reporting that an initial inspection of the vessel by the troops confirmed the suspicion over the flag being flown. Databases list the ship as sailing falsely under the flag of Madagascar, although the French authorities are reporting they were told Cameroon. The French Navy is currently escorting the tanker to a bay near Brest, France, where the case will be handed over to the prosecutors.

 

 

The tanker has been sailing as the Tagor since 2024, with reports that it is managed from the UAE. Lloyd’s is listed as having withdrawn its class certification in July 2025. The ship’s flag was listed as unknown and falsely in Guinea and Madagascar in 2025. The United States sanctioned the tanker in 2025, as did the EU, and the UK listed it earlier this year.

Greek authorities cited the tanker for 20 deficiencies during an inspection in December 2023. It was detained for 11 days, but in 2025 Russian authorities gave the vessel a clean inspection with only one deficiency for paperwork. 

French President Emmanuel Macron has advocated since last year for intervention to stop shadow fleet tankers, saying even a few days’ delay hurts their finances. This is the second time the French have stopped a tanker in the Atlantic, after one in September 2025. It also stopped two shadow fleet tankers in the Mediterranean, but they were later released with fines.

Advised of this latest seizure, Russian officials immediately called it illegal and international piracy. The embassy is saying it believes the captain is a Russian citizen. There are 23 crew aboard the Tagor.

The prefect reports the tanker will arrive off France on Tuesday morning, June 2. It has established an exclusion zone around the vessel while prosecutors continue their investigation.