The questions accumulate around an oil tanker who wet off Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), after opening on Wednesday 1is October, of a judicial investigation concerning him. Aimed by European sanctions in February for belonging to the Russian ghost fleet, he is suspected of being involved in a recent drone overflight in Denmark.
“There have been very important faults that have been committed by this crew which justify that the procedure is judicialized today”said Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of a European summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The French president, however, wanted to remain “Very careful” on the possible link between this ship, baptized Pushpa or Boracay et Beating Beninese pavilion, and overview of drones in Denmark. He insisted on the fight against the Russian ghost fleet, these ships under foreign pavilions used by Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions against his oil sales.
“Refusal to comply”
A little earlier, the Brest prosecutor, Stéphane Kellenberger, explained to the France-Presse agency having opened an investigation for “lack of justification of the nationality of the ship/pavilion” and “refusal to obtain”, without more detail.
The ship is suspected of being involved in drone overflies who disrupted Danish air traffic, according to the specialized site The Maritime Executivewho specifies that the boat was able to serve as “Launch platform” or from “Lure”.
Built in 2007, the 244 -meter -long ship changed its name and pavilion many times, being alternately registered in Gabon, the Marshall Islands and Mongolia, according to the site www.opensanctions.org.
The prosecutor entrusted the investigations to the maritime gendarmerie. Starting from Primorsk, near Saint-Petersburg, Russia, on September 20, the oil tanker was to join Vadinar, in northwestern India, on October 20, according to the Marine Traffic site.
