A French court has sentenced a Chinese tanker captain to one year in prison and a EUR150,000 fine for operating a shadow fleet vessel.
A French court in Brest has sentenced the captain of a Chinese oil tanker to one year in prison and a EUR150,000 (US$172,800) fine after convicting him in absentia over a shadow fleet case, reported Athens' Safety4Sea.
The case stems from a September 27, 2025 incident when French naval forces intercepted the tanker Boracay near Ushant. The vessel, initially without a visible flag, was carrying Russian oil to India. Prosecutors said the captain resisted boarding, forcing a risky maneuver.
Investigators later found the ship was operating under a false Benin flag to conceal links to Russia's shadow fleet. Two Russian security personnel were reportedly on board to oversee the crew and gather intelligence.
The tanker has since been renamed Phoenix and now sails under a Russian flag.
Defence lawyers argued that France lacked jurisdiction because the incident occurred in international waters, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. They contended that the case should be handled by China.
The captain's lawyer plans to appeal, calling the ruling unprecedented and legally unclear.
