Russia-linked tanker off the coast of Denmark during drone flyovers, says vessel tracker
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The Boracay has been anchored off Saint-Nazaire in western France for several days. It is thought to have been involved in recent drone flights over Denmark that disrupted air traffic.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
- Russian "shadow fleet" tanker Boracay was near Denmark during drone flights in September, prompting investigations.
- France is investigating the Boracay for "serious offences," but Macron avoids confirming drone flight links.
- The EU sanctioned the Boracay for helping Russia evade oil export curbs, part of a fleet funding the war.
AI generated
PARIS – A tanker from Russia’s “shadow fleet” was off the Danish coast in September during mysterious drone flights over Denmark, according to ship tracking data analysed by AFP.
The Boracay, a Benin-flagged vessel blacklisted by the European Union for being part of Russia’s sanction-busting “shadow fleet” of ageing oil tankers,
Drones have been sighted across Denmark, including over military sites, since Sept 22, prompting brief closures at several airports and a ban on all civilian drone flights until Oct 3.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Oct 1 said France was investigating the ship, now stationed off the French coast, for “serious offences”.
But he stopped short of confirming reports of a connection to the Denmark drone flights.
“There were some very serious offences committed by this crew, which justify the current judicial procedure,” Mr Macron told reporters at an EU leaders’ summit in Copenhagen.
Built in 2007 and variously known as Pushpa and Kiwala, the Boracay has been anchored off Saint-Nazaire in western France for several days.
According to specialist website The Maritime Executive, the 244m-long vessel is suspected of being involved in mystery drone flights
The publication said the tanker and other ships could have been used either as launch platforms or as decoys.
But when asked about those claims, Mr Macron said he would “remain very careful”, as it was not for him to establish a link between the Boracay and the drone flights.
The French operation, however, underscored the importance of European efforts to stop the “shadow fleet” of vessels helping Russia to circumvent Western sanctions.
‘Refusal to cooperate’
The EU has sanctioned hundreds of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine to sap Moscow’s war chest.
Among them is the Boracay, which was blacklisted in February under the name Kiwala.
The public prosecutor’s office in the north-western French city of Brest said it had opened an investigation following a report from the navy.
The probe was launched over the crew’s “failure to justify the nationality of the vessel” and “refusal to cooperate”, Brest public prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger told AFP.
The French navy has boarded the ship, a source within the executive branch who spoke on the condition of anonymity told AFP, without providing details on the timing.
The tanker left the Russian port of Primorsk outside Saint Petersburg on Sept 20 and was due to arrive in Vadinar in north-western India on Oct 20, according to data from the Marine Traffic tracking website.
The French President said this “shadow fleet”, estimated to include between “600 and 1,000 ships”, was thought to represent “tens of billions of euros of Russia’s budget” and make up “40 per cent of the Russian war effort”. AFP
