President Emmanuel Macron said that France is forced to release a recently detained tanker belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet due to national legislation requirements.
The US Coast Guard and the US military conducted an operation to intercept the oil tanker Marinera, formerly known as Bella‑1 and now flying the Russian flag.
Two large oil tankers, including a sanctioned vessel carrying Russian crude, caught fire after colliding near the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns among global oil traders and shipping operators.
These ships carry large volumes of Russian oil and petroleum products from Russian ports in the Baltics, generating revenue that helps finance the war in Ukraine.
Security analysts say Russia is operating hundreds of vessels to get around the sanctions imposed on its oil exports over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The US has rejected a Canadian proposal to establish a task force that would tackle Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers, as the Trump administration re-evaluates its positions across multilateral organizations, according to people familiar with the matter.