Trouble for India’s ties as ally intercepts tanker carrying 100,000 tonnes of Russian Ural oil
French authorities have intercepted a tanker carrying Russian crude oil en route to India off the Atlantic coast, according to multiple media reports. The crew, including the captain and first officer, were taken into custody. France has announced that the ship’s captain—a Chinese national—will stand trial in February on charges of concealment after allegedly refusing to cooperate with investigators. The seized vessel was reportedly transporting crude oil for Nayara Energy’s refinery at Vadinar port in India.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at an EU gathering in Copenhagen on Thursday, confirmed that the action formed part of Europe’s broader strategy to block revenue streams funding Russia’s war in Ukraine. “We want to step up pressure on Russia to bring it back to the negotiating table,” Macron said, adding that the EU is now adopting a more aggressive “obstruction” approach when vessels suspected of sanctions evasion pass through European waters.
Industry sources told reporters that the tanker Boracay had loaded 100,000 tonnes of Urals crude from Russia’s Primorsk port near Finland on September 20, supplied by Rosneft, the state-owned oil giant. Its declared destination was Vadinar, where Nayara Energy operates a refinery. Rosneft, which owns a 49% stake in Nayara, is one of India’s and China’s key suppliers, though the company has not commented on the incident.
According to reports, French naval commandos boarded the Boracay on Saturday in western France. The ship had already been sanctioned by the EU and the UK on suspicion of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” used to circumvent restrictions on energy exports. Tracking data from Marine Traffic showed the vessel passing about 50 nautical miles south of Copenhagen last week, coinciding with drone sightings that temporarily shut down several Danish airports.
The Kremlin condemned France’s actions, calling them excessive and destabilizing. Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that the seizure could disrupt global energy flows: “What if the oil is not Russian? France risks creating major problems for international energy supply routes. This looks like hysteria,” he said.
