French navy seizes tanker ‘Grinch’; Indian captain detained in 'false flag' probe near Marseille

Much of the oil is carried by what is known as a shadow fleet of vessels operating outside of the Western maritime industry.

The captain of an oil tanker intercepted by the French navy has been detained under investigations into whether it was operating under a false flag, the Marseille prosecutor’s office said on Sunday.

The vessel named Grinch was seized in the Mediterranean on Thursday, then diverted to anchor off the French port city, on suspicion of being part of the shadow fleet that lets Russia export oil despite sanctions.

The 58-year-old captain, an Indian national, was detained as part of the preliminary investigations, the prosecutors said in a statement that did not mention Russia.

The vessel left the Russian port of Murmansk in early January, sailing under a Comoros flag, French authorities have said.

Other crew members, also Indian nationals, remain on board the ship while investigators verify the validity of the flag and the vessel's navigation documents, the statement added.

The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions against Russia, but Moscow has adapted to most measures and continues to sell millions of barrels of oil to countries such as India and China, typically at discounted prices.

Much of the oil is carried by what is known as a shadow fleet of vessels operating outside of the Western maritime industry.

In October, France detained another sanctioned tanker, the Boracay, off its west coast and released it after a few days.