PARIS, January 25. /TASS/. The Grinch tanker, detained by the French Navy on suspicion of flying a false flag, was escorted to the cargo port of Marseille, the BFMTV channel reported.
The channel showed the ship at a distance from the shore with a French Navy vessel nearby. According to BFMTV, the tanker arrived in the Marseille-Fos port area on Saturday at approximately 9:00 p.m. local time (8:00 p.m. GMT).
According to the Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture, the ship was "handed over to the Marseille prosecutor" for a preliminary investigation. "No-go zones for shipping and flights" were established around the Grinch's mooring site near the Marseille-Fos oil terminal. The prosecutor's office must conduct a series of checks with investigators from the maritime gendarmerie to determine the vessel's ownership. According to media reports, the vessel was flying the flag of the Comoros Islands at the time of its detention.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the French Navy had detained a tanker sailing from Russia in Mediterranean waters. The Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture stated that a discrepancy was found in the Grinch tanker's registration data regarding its nationality during the inspection. Because of this discrepancy, the tanker was escorted to an anchorage, and the Marseille prosecutor's office launched an investigation.