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A tanker suspected of belonging to the Russian ghost fleet has been detained since Sunday off the coast of Saint-Nazaire. Board by the French navy last night, the 245-meter-long Boracay, flying the Beninese flag, is the subject of an investigation opened by the Brest public prosecutor's office for "failure to justify the ship's nationality" and "refusal to comply." Two crew members, including the self-proclaimed captain, are currently in police custody.

The ship has intrigued French investigators and Danish authorities alike. Having left the Russian port of Primorsk, near Saint Petersburg, in mid-September and officially bound for India, the Boracay has given off a number of suspicious signals. It deviated from its route to approach the French coast before being intercepted. Above all, its route and multiple identities raise questions: the vessel has previously sailed under the names Pushpa and Kiwala.

European authorities consider it part of Russia's ghost fleet, estimated to number several hundred ships. These aging vessels, often bought by Moscow, regularly change flags and owners to evade Western sanctions on oil exports. Many of them sail without insurance, cut their GPS systems and disappear from radar, before reappearing under a new identity.

The Boracay is on the EU's blacklist and is also of interest to Copenhagen. On September 22, as it was leaving the Baltic Sea for the North Sea, it passed less than 100 kilometers from the Danish capital, at the same time that drones were flying over Copenhagen Airport, causing its temporary closure. The Danish authorities fear that the ship was used as a support platform for these flights.

These suspicions add to broader concerns about Moscow's use of the ghost fleet. Beyond oil sales, these ships could be mobilized for sabotage or surveillance missions in the Baltic and North Seas, where there is a lot of sensitive energy and military infrastructure. franceinfo

IN SHORT

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