A French prosecutor has announced that the captain of an oil tanker, reportedly linked to Russia's "shadow fleet," will face trial in France early next year for allegedly not providing proper documentation to confirm the ship's nationality.
It follows that the captain and chief officer of the Boracay, a tanker now stuck along the nation's Atlantic shoreline, were taken into custody by French officials, just after an inquiry was initiated into the vessel and its crew.
Following their arrest by police on Tuesday, the two individuals, both of Chinese nationality, were later set free, with the chief officer not being charged with any offense.
Prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger stated that the captain was called to appear in court in the western port city of Brest on February 23.
He could receive up to one year in prison and a 150,000-euro ($176,000) penalty for the alleged crime of "failing to prove the vessel's nationality."
Prosecutors, who also investigated him and his colleague regarding the crew's "refusal to cooperate," stated that he could not be directly held accountable for that offense.
The vessel Boracay departed the Russian oil terminal in Primorsk, close to St. Petersburg, on 20 September and headed toward the coast of Denmark while en route to India.
It was referenced by European maritime specialists as potentially having participated in drone violations of Danish air space.
The vessel, which has had multiple name changes, is operating under the Benin flag and is listed among ships subject to EU sanctions related to Russia.
The French navy inspected the ship during the weekend, following concerns regarding its origin, according to French military spokesperson Colonel Guillaume Vernet.
The vessel was instructed to remain stationary in a secure location, he stated.
It has remained near the western French port of Saint-Nazaire since Sunday, as reported by the Marine Traffic tracking website.
French President Emmanuel Macron claims that the tanker is part of Russia's so-called hidden fleet of old vessels with unclear ownership and safety standards, which are evading Western sanctions due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
On Thursday, he commended the efforts of the French navy in "detecting the existence of a hidden fleet."
"You undermine the business model by holding these vessels for days or weeks and compelling them to restructure their operations," he said.
At a defense summit for European leaders held in Copenhagen, Macron stated that "30 to 40%" of Russia's military operations are "funded by the earnings of the shadow fleet."
"It exceeds €30 billion. Therefore, it is crucial to intensify pressure on this hidden fleet, as it will undoubtedly decrease the ability to fund this war effort for Russia," he stated.
Macron stated that the vessel, which was reported to be displaying a false flag, was "identical" to the one held by Estonia earlier this year.
In April, the Estonian public broadcaster EE stated that the ship, previously known as Kiwala, was intercepted outside Tallinn Bay due to worries regarding its flag, while it was en route to the Russian port of Ust-Luga.
At that moment, Prime Minister Kristen Michal tweeted that Estonia's navy had "intercepted a vessel under sanctions with no identified flag state" and officials had boarded the ship.
When questioned by reporters, Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov stated he had "no information" regarding the vessel. He further mentioned that numerous nations were engaging in "provocative actions" against Russia.
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