France Detains DF Peak Tanker Near Réunion

French naval forces intercepted the DF Peak tanker about 450 nautical miles south of Réunion and boarded the vessel. French President Emmanuel Macron said the tanker is suspected of using a false flag and taking part in illegal fuel shipments within Russia’s shadow fleet, USM reported, citing Reuters.

The Russian embassy in France called the detention of DF Peak “piracy” and said it was trying to determine whether Russian citizens were among the crew. The embassy also claimed that France had not notified Russia about the detention of the tanker, according to USM.

French army spokesperson Colonel Xavier Rival said France had doubts about the vessel’s flag. According to him, those doubts remain, so under a prosecutor’s decision the tanker is heading to Réunion for a detailed examination, Bukvy reported.

Bukvy also noted that DF Peak was sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom and the EU in 2024, and became at least the fifth Russia-linked tanker detained by France since the start of 2024.