French navy officers board and inspect a tanker that was flying an unauthorised Cameroonian flag off the coast of Sicily.
Following the interception of the vessels Tagor and Smyrtos in the English Channel earlier this month – both also flying fraudulent Cameroonian colours – French naval forces stopped the oil tanker Deliver on Tuesday, June 23. The vessel was displaying a Cameroonian flag without authorisation. “A review of the documents confirmed our doubts about the legitimacy of the Cameroonian flag,” officials stated.
The Deliver, which had been sailing under the Cameroonian flag, was placed under sanctions by Yaoundé after the incidents involving Tagor and Smyrtos. French President Emmanuel Macron alleged that the tanker likely belongs to the so-called Russian shadow fleet.
“On Tuesday, the French Navy seized the oil tanker Deliver as it transited off the coast of Sicily in violation of maritime law. This latest operation against the shadow fleet, coming just days after a similar action by the United Kingdom, shows the determination of Europeans,” Macron posted.
“We will not allow the shadow fleet to evade sanctions and fund Russia’s war effort,” he added. Over recent weeks, Cameroon’s transport ministry has sanctioned and removed 39 ships from its registry.
For Yaoundé, these measures are designed to conduct a physical headcount and digital record of the registered fleet, aiming to tighten control and protect the Cameroonian maritime label.
