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Belgian and French armed forces have seized an oil tanker in the North Sea alleged to belong to Russia's so-called shadow fleet accused of transporting Russian crude in defiance of Western-imposed sanctions. The ship, named Ethera, is being taken to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.
Issued on: 01/03/2026 - 10:38Modified: 01/03/2026 - 10:59
By: FRANCE 24 The seized 'Ethera' vessel is docked at the naval base in Zeebrugge, on March 1, 2026. © Nicolas Maeterlinck, AFP Belgium's special forces boarded and seized an oil tanker allegedly belonging to what has been dubbed the "shadow fleet" Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, the government said on Sunday.
Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot said the vessel was intercepted in the North Sea during an overnight operation.
"Today, a vessel from Russia's shadow fleet was intercepted in the North Sea," Prévot wrote on X, thanking Belgian special forces for their "exceptional professionalism and courage".
Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said the intercepted tanker was "being escorted to the port of Zeebrugge, where it will be seized".
A Belgian official said the seized vessel is named Ethera and is on the European Union's sanctions list.
Read moreAre the West's tightening oil sanctions finally taking their toll on Russia’s economy?
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on X that French naval forces assisted in the operation, calling it a "major blow" to Russia's so-called shadow fleet.
Russia has used a flotilla of ageing tankers of opaque ownership to get around restrictions on its lucrative crude exports imposed over its 2022 all-out invasion of Ukraine.
The European Union has blacklisted hundreds of vessels in a bid to sap Moscow's war chest.
"Sanctions only matter if they are enforced. Today, we enforced them," Prévot said.
Francken told Reuters that the seized vessel was suspected of sailing with a "false flag and false documents".
Maritime tracking site VesselFinder reports the Ethera is sailing under a Guinean flag.
The operation was carried out alongside Belgium's G7, Nordic and Baltic partners and in coordination with France, he added.
Russia has called the seizure of its tankers or vessels carrying its cargoes an act of piracy.
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