By Nerijus Adomaitis
(Reuters) -The Boracay, a tanker under Western sanctions on suspicion of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and also facing a separate investigation by French authorities, has set sail from where it was anchored off western France, according to MarineTraffic data.
It was unclear why the vessel, which was heading southwest down the Bay of Biscay at cruise speed early on Friday, was allowed to depart after it was raided by French Navy commandos over the weekend.
Neither local French maritime authorities, nor the Brest prosecutor’s office, which has been investigating the Benin-flagged vessel over its nationality, responded to requests for comment.
Prior to its detention, the Boracay was destined for India’s Vadinar port, home to a Nayara Energy refinery. Reuters could not ascertain if that was where it was heading.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that the ship was detained as part of a European strategy to combat the oil revenue stream that helps to fund Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.
To try to skirt Western sanctions, Russia has been increasingly relying on old vessels, known as the shadow fleet, to ship its oil and gas.
Macron also said it was unclear whether the vessel was involved in drone incursions in Denmark last week, which shut Danish airports close to the route the ship had been sailing from the Baltic to the North Sea.
(Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; editing by Barbara Lewis)
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