Deyna

On April 15, 2026, the owner of the 'Deyna' was sentenced by the Marseille Judicial Court, under a plea bargain procedure, to a fine of confiscation. The amount was paid into the account of the Agency for the Management and Recovery of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AGRASC) for failing to provide proof of the ship's nationality (lack of a flag), an offense under the provisions of the French Civil Code. and punishable under Article L. 5233-2 of the French Transport Code. The company, which had already taken numerous steps in this direction, has committed to obtaining a new flag as soon as possible. Following the CRPC (Criminal Procedure Code), the vessel's detention was lifted by the Prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, and the tanker left French territorial waters. During its transit and until its departure from waters under French sovereignty and jurisdiction, the 'Deyna' remained under the supervision of the French maritime services, under the authority of the Maritime Prefect of the Mediterranean. The ship was headed to Rizhao.

The 'Deyna', diverted to the western Mediterranean on Fridayarch 20, and escorted by French Navy vessels, arrived in the Gulf of Fos (Bouches-du-Rhône) on the morning of March 20. It was anchored in pos. 43° 22' N 004° 59' E and held at the disposal of the Marseille public prosecutor for the preliminary investigations into the charge of failing to display a flag. To ensure the investigation continues under satisfactory safety and security conditions, nautical (500 metres) and air (1.5 nautical miles, 1,000 feet) exclusion zones have been established around the tanker. Compliance with these regulations was enforced by units of the Maritime Gendarmerie and the French Navy.

The French Navy has detained the 'Deyna', a tanker belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet”). The vessel, enroute from Murmansk towards Port Said, was intercepted near the coast of Algeria on March 20, 2026. The operation was carried out with ​British allies, according to the French Mediterranean prefecture. Russia, which has had increasing international sanctions imposed on it over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, did not immediately ​comment on the tanker's seizure. It has previously called the ​seizure of its tankers or vessels carrying its cargoes an act of piracy. At ‌the ⁠prosecutor's request, the vessel was escorted to an anchorage point for further inspections. Report with photo: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/french-navy-seizes-tanker-russia-suspected-flying-false-flag-mediterranean-2026-03-20/