French naval forces detained the oil tanker Deliver as it was sailing off the coast of Sicily in violation of international maritime law, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron posted a video of the operation showing special forces descending from a helicopter onto the vessel. He described it as another action against Russia’s shadow fleet.
“We will not allow the shadow fleet to evade sanctions and finance the war waged by Russia. Europe is determined,” Macron wrote.
The French president added that the detention came only a few days after a similar operation carried out by the United Kingdom.
Since the start of 2026, France has repeatedly detained tankers that authorities say were transporting Russian oil above the price cap. One of the first was the tanker Grinch, detained in January.
In March, French authorities detained the tanker Deyna; a month later it was allowed to leave the port of Marseille. On June 1, French forces stopped the oil tanker Tagor in the Atlantic Ocean.
In mid-June, a tanker from Russia’s shadow fleet attempting to pass through the English Channel was detained by the United Kingdom for the first time. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described such detentions by EU countries as piracy.