The oil tanker Deliver, linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, arrived during the day of Friday, June 26, at the Gulf of Fos, escorted by the French Navy. It will remain anchored in the area at the disposal of the Marseille public prosecutor.
The civilian vessel had been intercepted and diverted last Tuesday, June 23, in the waters of the western Mediterranean by units of the French National Navy, as part of a flagrante delicto investigation into the alleged crime of lack of flag (sailing without an official flag).
With the aim of guaranteeing the safety and security conditions necessary for the development of the investigations, the French authorities have established strict exclusion perimeters around the vessel.
A maritime exclusion zone of 500 meters and an air restriction area of 1.5 nautical miles and 300 meters in height have been determined in the surrounding sectors.
These restrictive measures were formalized through decrees issued consecutively by the maritime prefect of the Mediterranean (effective from June 25) and the prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône (effective from June 26).
Both mandates regulate and prohibit activities such as navigation, anchoring, diving, and swimming in the vicinity of the merchant vessel.
Likewise, the creation of a Temporary Prohibited Zone (ZIT) was decreed in the western docks of the Grand Maritime Port of Marseille and its surroundings, which will remain active from Friday, June 26, until next Tuesday, June 30.
Compliance with these safety regulations will be supervised and controlled on site by patrols of the Maritime Gendarmerie and the National Navy.
The authorities of the French State have made a strict appeal to all users of the sea and airspace to respect these exclusion zones in order not to interfere with the ongoing expert investigations.
