On January 22, French President Emmanuel Macron said that this oil tanker "comes from Russia, is subject to international sanctions and is suspected of flying a fake flag".
The operation is conducted in international waters in the Mediterranean, with the support of some of our allies. This operation strictly complies with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," Mr. Macron said.
He added that the ship had been diverted and authorities had opened an investigation.
French maritime officials also confirmed that the navy seized the oil tanker Grinch in the area between Spain and Morocco. The French Maritime Administration of the Mediterranean region said that the oil tanker Grinch originating from the Russian port of Murmansk was seized by the French Navy in the Mediterranean on suspicion of violating nationality regulations.
The United Kingdom later confirmed that it had supported the oil tanker interception. Defense Secretary John Healey added that Britain had also supported the ship tracking process.
The latest oil tanker blockade took place in the context of the European Union imposing more than ten sanctions packages on Russia after the conflict in Ukraine broke out.
However, Russia still sells millions of barrels of oil to other countries such as China and India. Most of this oil is transported by the "dark fleet", including ships operating outside the Western maritime industry.
A report in November 2025 by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air based in Helsinki, Finland, showed that more than 100 Russian ships hung fake flags in the first 9 months of 2025, transporting about 11 million tons of oil worth 4.7 billion euros.
On January 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his French counterpart Macron for intercepting the ship. He said that this is a necessary move to stop Russian oil. "Russian oil tankers operating near the European coast must be intercepted" - the Ukrainian leader emphasized.
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in France said it was not informed of this arrest. "Currently, together with diplomats from the Consulate General in Marseille, we are making efforts to find out if there are any Russian citizens in the crew to provide necessary support," TASS quoted the embassy's statement.
Deputy Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Russian Federation Council Konstantin Basyuk said that France is following the EU's common strategy to escalate tensions with Russia by arresting a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean.
He also believes that such a policy may hardly bring any benefits to France, especially when Russia has switched to escorting oil tankers by the navy to ensure maritime safety.
The Russian official also noted that France's oil ship arrest is quite paradoxical when considering that the US is constantly promoting its own interests, including the Greenland issue, and partly ignoring the views of European allies, while European officials continue to see Russia as an opponent.
