French Navy action on ships off the Atlantic coast
Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron has clashed with Russian President Vladimir Putin. French police have detained two crew members of a Russian oil tanker stranded off the country's Atlantic coast, a French prosecutor said. Macron claims the tanker is part of the Russian fleet, which is operated clandestinely.
Macron made these allegations:
Macron said that these old tankers have unclear ownership and are known to flout safety standards. It is alleged that such tankers are used to evade Western sanctions due to Russia's war in Ukraine. Stéphane Kellenberger, prosecutor in the western port city of Brest, said the crew members, claiming to be the ship's captain and chief assistant, have been in custody since Wednesday. He said the investigation was launched after the Atlantic Maritime Prefect (a French government official) informed judicial authorities on Monday. The crew also did not specify which country the ship belonged to.
French Navy Takes Action
A military official said on Wednesday that the French Navy took action against the ship a few days ago at the request of prosecutors, who suspected foul play. According to the official, the ship has been ordered to remain there pending further investigation. According to the maritime traffic monitoring website, the ship departed from the Russian oil terminal in Primorsk, near St. Petersburg, on September 20th and, after passing through the Danish coast, has been stranded off the western French port of Saint-Nazaire since Sunday.
Macron said the tanker's crew had committed some grave wrongdoings. "The tanker's crew committed some grave wrongdoings," Macron said during the EU leaders' summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Wednesday. He also said that the tanker had "exposed" the existence of a Russian fleet operating clandestinely. The tanker has been renamed "Pushpa" or "Boracay" several times. It flies the flag of the West African country of Benin, and is on a list of ships targeted under European Union sanctions against Russia.
You Might Also Like
-
Deir al-Balah: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered Palestinians to leave Gaza City. Kat...
-
Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron has clashed with Russian President Vladimir Putin. French po...
Leave A Comment
Comments