Overview

• French military personnel boarded the 244‑meter tanker and two senior crew members, identified as the captain and his second, were placed in custody, authorities said.
• The Brest prosecutor opened a preliminary probe for failure to justify the ship’s nationality/flag and for refusal to obey, offenses that carry up to one year in prison and a €150,000 fine.
• Tracking data show the vessel left Primorsk on September 20 bound for India, transited near Denmark between September 22 and 25 during reported drone overflights, and has been anchored off the Saint‑Nazaire wind farm since the weekend.
• Listed under EU and UK sanctions, the ship—known as Boracay/Pushpa and flagged to Benin—has a history of frequent name and flag changes and was previously intercepted by Estonian authorities, according to industry and official sources.
• President Emmanuel Macron cited “very serious faults” by the crew and highlighted broader efforts to counter Russia’s opaque maritime network, as French gendarmerie maritime leads the investigation and Danish links remain under review.