Overview

• Prosecutors in Brest launched a preliminary investigation for failure to justify nationality and refusal to obey, assigning the case to the gendarmerie maritime.
• French forces boarded the 244-meter vessel Wednesday evening after it remained immobilized near the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, according to Le Parisien.
• Vessel-tracking data show the tanker, sailing under a Benin flag and also known as Boracay/Pushpa, left Primorsk on September 20 and has been stationary off France since late September.
• The ship transited Danish waters September 22–25 during unexplained drone overflights that closed airports, though Danish authorities have not confirmed any operational link.
• Listed under EU and UK sanctions as part of Russia's 'ghost fleet,' the tanker drew condemnation from Emmanuel Macron, who cited very serious crew faults and estimated the fleet at 600–1,000 ships financing a large share of Russia's war effort.