rench President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that the French Navy intercepted an oil tanker near the coast of Sicily as part of efforts to counter Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” which is used to transport oil and gas while bypassing Western sanctions.

In a post on X and Instagram, Macron said the interception took place on Tuesday and described it as France’s latest action against maritime networks involved in circumventing sanctions on Russian energy exports.

He noted that the operation followed a similar action carried out by the United Kingdom days earlier, adding that it demonstrates the determination of European countries to enforce sanctions and monitor suspicious shipping activities linked to Russia.