Grinch

The 'Grinch', suspected of links to the Russian shadow fleet, has been allowed to leave French waters after three weeks immobilised off the Marseille‑Fos oil terminal, authorities confirmed on Feb 17. Theaframax, falsely flagged to Comoros, had loaded crude at Russia’s Arctic port of Murmansk, and was boarded by French forces on Jan 22 in the Mediterranean. The owner was, according to prosecutors and the Bouches‑du‑Rhône and Mediterranean maritime prefectures. under a plea procedure and handed a pecuniary penalty by the Marseille judicial court. The owner paid several million Euros into the account of AGRASC, the agency that manages seized and confiscated assets, after failing to justify the vessel’s nationality. The owner has committed to obtaining a new, verifiable flag as soon as possible.

Vessel GRINCH (IMO: 9288851) has been reported to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) for abandonment. Details: - Flag: Comoros FALSE - Port: Marseille - Country: France - Owed Wages: - Number of Seafarers: 26 - Seafarer Nationalities: India - Reported to ITF: 13 Feb 2026 - Status: Open This information is sourced from the ITF Seafarers abandonment list, which tracks cases of crew abandonment worldwide.

The Indian captain of the 'Grinch' was cleared to return to work after being questioned by Nicolas Bessone, the Marseille prosecutor, He does not face formal charges at this time and has been allowed to return to his regular duties on board,.while the tanker remained under administrative detention following its interception in the Alboran Sea. on suspicion of using falsified documents and being linked to Russia's ghost fleet, designed to evade international restrictions. The investigation into the 'Grinch' was being handled by the Maritime Gendarmerie and overseen by the local public prosecutor's office. The main reason for suspicion lies in the apparent discrepancy between the tanker's flag, which is Comoros, and the evidence pointing to its true Russian origin. Several large ships are using similar practices to conceal links with Russia and thus evade international sanctions imposed as a result of the conflict in Ukraine. The 'Grinch' was on an international watch lists aimed at tracking Russian maritime activity outside the scope of international sanctions. The UK government identified the vessel as the ‘Grinch’ in its catalog of ships belonging to Russia’s so-called ‘ghost fleet’. Meanwhile, the European Union and the United States listed the ship as the ‘Carl’. According to the Marseille Public Prosecutor’s Office, the potential duplication of names and registrations was part of the strategies used to hinder tracking and oversight by European authorities. The operation fell within European efforts to curb practices that circumvent international sanctions, implemented since 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Investigative bodies believed that the manipulation of documents, including flag registrations and formal ship identifications, is a widespread tactic in Russian maritime operations to maintain the flow of hydrocarbons to alternative markets without the expected monitoring or restrictions. The investigation remains open under the supervision of the Marseille Public Prosecutor's Office, which is in constant contact with international authorities to verify the documents seized after the vessel's interception. French officials were seeking to determine the ship's exact routes, its ownership history, and the veracity of the documentation presented during its voyage, according to Le Figaro.

The captain of the 'Grinch', a 58-year-old Indian national, has been taken in custody in Marseille as part of an investigation to determine whether the vessel was operating under a false flag. The remaining crew members, all Indian nationals, remained aboard the seized vessel under supervision. The tanker arroved om tje Gulf of Fos (Bouches-du-Rhône) and has dropped anchor in pos. 43° 22' N 004° 59' E on the late afternoon of Jan 24 near the Fos-sur-Mer oil terminal at the Port of Marseille-Fos, guarded by the French Navy. A nautical (500) and air (1.5 nautical miles, 1,000 feet) exclusion zones have been established around the anchored vessel. The authorities suspected that the vessel was part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, facilitating the export of Russian crude subject to international sanctions. The investigations into the validity of the tanker’s flag and navigation documents were ongoing at the disposal of the Marseille public prosecutor. Reports with photos: https://www.premar-mediterranee.gouv.fr/communiques-presse/arrivee-au-mouillage-du-petrolier-cargo-grinch-dans-le-golfe-de-fos https://www.sudouest.fr/societe/defense/petrolier-fantome-russe-arraisonne-par-la-france-operation-commando-enquete-ce-que-l-on-sait-sur-le-grinch-27573102.php https://www.franceinfo.fr/societe/armee-securite-defense/le-petrolier-soupconne-d-appartenir-a-la-flotte-fantome-russe-amarre-pres-de-marseille-et-mis-a-la-disposition-de-la-justice-francaise_7763849.html https://mesinfos.fr/13270-fos-sur-mer/ce-que-l-on-sait-du-petrolier-russe-amarre-en-face-de-port-de-bouc-238454.html

On the morning Jan 22, 2026, France has boarded the Russian shadow ftanker Grinch', while the ship was sailing through the Mediterranean Sea enroute from the Russian port Murmansk. French sailors boarded the vessel by helicopter in the Alboran Sea, east of Gibraltar The operation was reminiscent of recent US military missions. This was announced by theFrench President Emmanuel Macron and confirmed by the French Navy confirmed the operation in a press release. The tanker was apparently sailing under a false flag. IT flew the flag of the Comoros. The tanker was on sanctions lists of the EU, the US, and other countries because it was alleged to have exported Russian oil on several occasions. The ship was now under French control and was to be taken to a port for further investigations. A judicial investigation has been opened. The operation was conducted in cooperation with the French allies, in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Art.110 UNCLOS). Reports with photos: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdexxr2y907o https://www.leparisien.fr/international/la-marine-francaise-a-arraisonne-un-navire-petrolier-venant-de-russie-en-mediterranee-annonce-emmanuel-macron-22-01-2026-2PQKPF6A5RABNI5EXROLA3KI54.php

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