French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Friday (January 23) said an investigation was underway to determine the legality of the flag flown by an oil tanker diverted by the French navy on Thursday (January 22), as well as the ship's purpose.

The interception of the ship, suspected to be part of the shadow fleet that enables Russia to export oil despite sanctions, took place on high seas in the western Mediterranean, between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco, the French maritime police had said in a statement.

Video released on Friday by the French Armed Forces showed what it said was its navy boarding the ship and interacting with its crew.

The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions against Russia, but Moscow has adapted to most measures and continues to sell millions of barrels of oil to countries such as India and China, typically at discounted prices.

Much of the oil is carried by what is known as a shadow fleet of vessels operating outside of the Western maritime industry.

The intercepted tanker was sailing from Murmansk in northern Russia and is subject to international sanctions and suspected of operating under a false flag, French President Emmanuel Macron said in his post.

The tanker was sailing under a Comoros flag, according to data provided by LSEG.

In October, France detained another sanctioned tanker, the Boracay, off its west coast and released it after a few days.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

French armed forces release footage showing boarding of suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker

VIDEO SHOWS: FRENCH HELICOPTERS APPROACHING 'GRINCH' TANKER AND DROPPING SOLDIERS ABOARD / SOLDIERS ON BRIDGE WITH CREW / SOUNDBITES OF FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER / FILE FOOTAGE OF DIFFERENT RUSSIAN TANKER THAT WAS STOPPED BY FRANCE IN OCTOBER 2025

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: ON-CAMERA COMMENTS BY FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, ON THIS CAN BE FOUND IN EDIT 9111-USA-TRUMP/GREENLAND-EU-ARRIVALS-MORE / STILL PHOTOS OF OPERATION AND SHIP'S PATH CAN BE FOUND IN EDIT 9093-UKRAINE-CRISIS/FRANCE-TANKER

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: AT SEA (GIVEN AS JANUARY 22, 2026) (FRENCH ARMED FORCES - Must on-screen courtesy “French Armed Forces”, no new use after February 22, 2026)

1. VARIOUS OF FRENCH NAVY HELICOPTER TAKING OFF FROM WAR SHIP

2. VARIOUS NIGHT VISION SHOTS OF 'GRINCH' TANKER (MUTE)

3. VARIOUS OF HELICOPTER HOVERING ABOVE SHIP

4. VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS DROPPING DOWN ROPE ONTO SHIP

5. SHIP SEEN FROM HELICOPTER AS HELICOPTER MOVES AWAY

PARIS, FRANCE (JANUARY 23, 2026) (Must on-screen courtesy "BFMTV", no new use after January 24, 2026, at 0720GMT)

6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-NOEL BARROT, SAYING:

BARROT: "An investigation is underway to determine this flag, the intentions of this vessel. This operation is entirely consistent with the one conducted a few months ago, in October, off the coast of Madeira, to disrupt the movement of shadow fleet ships that Russia uses to circumvent the sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe."

JOURNALIST: "Sanctions related to the embargo on Russian oil?"

BARROT: "Sanctions related to the sailing of ships flying false flags to continue selling oil and financing the (Russian) war effort (in Ukraine)."

AT SEA (GIVEN AS JANUARY 22, 2026) (FRENCH ARMED FORCES - Must on-screen courtesy “French Armed Forces”, no new use after February 22, 2026)

7. SOLDIERS ENTERING BRIDGE AND SAYING (English): "French navy, French navy."

8. VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS ON BRIDGE WITH CREW

9. HELICOPTER APPROACHING SHIP

10. SOLDIER DROPPING DOWN ONTO SHIP

PARIS, FRANCE (JANUARY 23, 2026) (Must on-screen courtesy "BFMTV", no new use after January 24, 2026, at 0720GMT)

11. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-NOEL BARROT, SAYING:

"As with the operation off Madeira, this operation was conducted in conjunction with our allies, with the countries that, like us, support Ukraine and intend to disrupt the shadow fleet that we have also sanctioned."

AT SEA (FILE - OCTOBER 2, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

12. VARIOUS OF TANKER 'BORACAY' AT SEA, OFF THE COAST OF SAINT-NAZAIRE, AFTER BEING DIVERTED BY FRENCH AUTHORITIES ON SUSPICION OF BEING PART OF RUSSIAN SHADOW FLEET

13. RUBBER BOAT TAKING PACKAGE FROM BOAT

14. UPPER DECK OF TANKER

15. VARIOUS OF TANKER

16. RUBBER BOAT APPROACHING TANKER

17. VARIOUS OF TANKER