: France's military detained a tanker suspected to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" skirting Western sanctions to Reunion island on Monday (October 12), in what Moscow called another act of "piracy".

Western sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine and aimed at cutting its oil revenue have led to the rise of a shadow fleet of tankers helping Moscow keep its crude exports flowing.

While European sanctions remain in place, the U.S. on Monday temporarily eased sanctions on the sale of Russian diesel as the Middle East war disrupts oil supplies and boosts prices.

Europe has been taking tougher action against tankers using false flag registries to transport Russian oil, including boarding vessels at sea.

Russia's embassy in France was quoted by the state RIA news agency on Tuesday (October 13) saying that the seizure of the DF Peak tanker was a blatant violation of international law.

RIA said the embassy referred to the incident as "piracy" and as saying it was trying to determine if any Russian citizens were among the ship's crew.

France had also not notified Russia about the tanker's seizure, it said.

In a post on X published Monday evening, President Emmanuel Macron showed French military personnel intercepting and boarding the tanker from helicopters in what he said was some 450 nautical miles south of Reunion.

"France is determined to combat the shadow fleet, wherever it may be in the world," he said, adding that it was suspected of sailing under a false flag and involved in illicit fuel transportation activities.

"This action, carried out in accordance with international maritime law, demonstrates our determination to uphold the rule of law and combat all illicit trafficking, wherever it occurs," he said.

Reuters verified the identity of the vessel by its length, the shape of the bridge and the bow, which matched archive imagery of the DF Peak. No older versions of the video were found posted online before October 13.

The DF Peak, an oil tanker previously named the Kaliningrad and flagged from Benin, is at least the fifth Russian-linked tanker to be seized by France.

The vessel’s Hong Kong based manager listed in shipping databases Zheng Xin Marine could not be reached for comment.

The vessel has been hit by US, UK and EU sanctions in 2024.

It was partially loaded and last seen off the coast of Madagascar on October 12 at 0429 GMT with its previous port listed as Guanta, LSEG ship tracking data showed.

Russia has used such tankers, which are typically older and lack known Western insurance or safety certification, to skirt sanctions by sailing under the flags of various nations to obscure their true ownership, cargo and movements

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

AT SEA (GIVEN AS OCTOBER 12, 2026) (FRENCH ARMED FORCES - Must on-screen courtesy "French Armed Forces", no new use after November 11, 2026)

1. VARIOUS OF FRENCH NAVY PERSONNEL DROPPING ONTO TANKER FROM HELICOPTER

2. (MUTE) HELICOPTER ABOVE TANKER

3. FRENCH NAVY PERSONNEL LOOKING AT DOCUMENTS IN SHIP’S BRIDGE

INTERNET (OCTOBER 12, 2026) (SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - Access all) (MUTE)

4. POST ON X BY FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, READING (French): "France is determined to combat the shadow fleet, everywhere in the world. This morning, more than 450 nautical miles south of Reunion Island, our French Navy boarded the oil tanker DF Peak, suspected of sailing under a false flag and involved in illegal fuel transport activities. This action, conducted in accordance with international maritime law, demonstrates our commitment to upholding the law and combating all forms of illicit trafficking, wherever they occur.”

AT SEA (GIVEN AS OCTOBER 12, 2026) (FRENCH ARMED FORCES - Must on-screen courtesy "French Armed Forces", no new use after November 11, 2026)

5. FRENCH NAVY SERVICE MEMBER TALKING WITH CREW MEMBER (WITH FACE BLURRED), SAYING (English):

FRENCH NAVY SERVICE MEMBER: “We finished the investigation.”

DF PEAK CREW MEMBER: “Already finished?”

FRENCH NAVY SERVICE MEMBER: “Yes, but listen to me."

6. FRENCH NAVY PERSONNEL DROPPING ONTO TANKER FROM HELICOPTER

7. FRENCH NAVY SERVICE MEMBER TALKING WITH CREW MEMBER (WITH FACE BLURRED), SAYING (English):

FRENCH NAVY SERVICE MEMBER: “For the moment you are not going anymore to Singapore. Ok?”

OFF CAMERA FRENCH NAVY SERVICE MEMBER: “We will give you a heading and you will follow it."

DF PEAK CREW MEMBER: UNINTELLIGIBLE

8. (MUTE) HELICOPTER FLYING ABOVE TANKER

9. FRENCH NAVY SERVICE MEMBER TALKING WITH CREW MEMBER (WITH FACE BLURRED), SAYING (French/English):

OFF CAMERA FRENCH NAVY SERVICE MEMBER: “He worries for his reserves…”

DF PEAK CREW MEMBER: UNINTELLIGIBLE

FRENCH NAVY SERVICE MEMBER: “He wants to go to Singapore…”

DF PEAK CREW MEMBER: UNINTELLIGIBLE

FRENCH NAVY SERVICE MEMBER: “Sorry?”

DF PEAK CREW MEMBER: UNINTELLIGIBLE

OFF CAMERA FRENCH NAVY SERVICE MEMBER: “He says he doesn’t have fuel."