Belgium's special forces, assisted by France, boarded and seized an oil tanker from the so-called Russian shadow fleet used to circumvent Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, in an overnight operation announced on Sunday.
The Belgian government said the "vessel from Russia's shadow fleet" was intercepted in the North Sea, with aerial support from French military helicopters.
Defense Minister Theo Francken said the tanker was escorted to the port of Zeebrugge after being intercepted in Belgium's exclusive economic zone.
Prosecutors identified the ship, which was said to be on its way back to Russia, as the "Ethera."
A spokesperson for the Belgian federal prosecutor's office said the ship captain, a Russian national, was being questioned by investigators.
