Arrivée prévue ce samedi au port de Marseille-Fos du pétrolier russe arraisonné en Méditerranée.

Le Grinch, un pétrolier intercepté jeudi matin dans les eaux internationales entre l’Espagne et l’Afrique du Nord est attendu dans la journée au terminal de Fos.

Intercepté par la Marine nationale jeudi en Méditerranée, le Grinch doit arriver ce samedi 24 janvier au port de Marseille-Fos, au terminal pétrolier situé à Fos-sur-Mer, selon l’AFP. Ce pétrolier soupçonné d’appartenir à la flotte fantôme russe, navigait dans les eaux internationales de la mer d’Alboran, située entre l’Espagne et l’Afrique du Nord.

Le bâtiment est «sous sanctions internationales et suspecté d’arborer un faux pavillon». Following this seizure, the Marseille public prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation for lack of flag.

As provided by maritime law, the crew was subjected to a measure of restriction or deprivation of liberty that allows for the transition between the seizure and the handover to French authorities, according to a judicial source. Subsequently, the public prosecutor’s office will proceed, with maritime gendarmerie investigators, to a number of verifications.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the seizure. «Thank you to France. This is exactly the kind of determination needed to ensure that Russian oil no longer funds Russia’s war,» he responded on X.

Thank you, France! Thank you, @EmmanuelMacron! This is exactly the kind of resolve needed to ensure that Russian oil no longer finances Russia’s war. Russian tankers operating near European shores must be stopped. Sanctions against the entire infrastructure of the shadow fleet… https://t.co/6t0DbJ9xS1

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 22, 2026

This operation is the second carried out by France after the interception of the Boracay. The latter, also on the list of vessels sanctioned by the European Union, was seized at the end of September by French marine commandos in the Atlantic and diverted to the port of Saint-Nazaire. Some 598 vessels suspected of being part of the «shadow fleet» are subject to EU sanctions.

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