It is the fourth such ship that France has seized since September last year on suspicions of belonging to the “shadow fleet,” which Russia is believed to use to circumvent Western sanctions.

France's navy boarded the sanctioned oil tanker Tagor in the Atlantic after it sailed from Russia, escalating enforcement against the shadow fleet.

The vessel, Tagor, has been transporting Russian crude oil and petroleum products and is sanctioned by the EU, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.