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Ghost fleet tanker spotted off Saint-Nazaire amid Danish investigation
A Russian-linked oil tanker from the so-called "ghost fleet," suspected of circumventing international sanctions, has been anchored for several days near French territorial waters off the coast of Saint-Nazaire. The vessel, known as the Boracaybut also operating under the names Pushpa and Kiwala, departed from the Russian port of Primorsk on September 20.
According to the French Navy, the crew failed to provide valid documents regarding the ship’s nationality and did not comply with instructions from French authorities. The prosecutor’s office in Brest has therefore launched an investigation, citing possible violations of maritime law.
Built in 2007, the Boracay is already listed under European Union and United Kingdom sanctions. Brussels suspects the tanker of transporting Russian crude oil using “high-risk and irregular maritime practices,” while London accuses it of supporting Moscow’s oil trade and destabilizing Ukraine.
The case has gained further attention in Denmark, where the ship is mentioned in an inquiry into drone incursions between September 22 and 25. Several airports, including Copenhagen and Aalborg, were temporarily forced to close their airspace due to unidentified drone activity. Danish media reports suggest the Boracay was sailing through Danish waters at that time.
Experts note that such operations are difficult to attribute to anyone other than Russia. The ship was tracked by a French warship as it moved along the Breton coast before anchoring near the Loire-Atlantique offshore wind farm.