France’s navy boarded the Cameroon-flagged crude tanker Deliver near Sicily on June 23 after suspicions over the authenticity of its flag triggered a high-seas inspection, according to the Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée.
The Marine Nationale carried out the flag-control operation with support from EUNAVFOR MED Irini after the tanker sailed from Primorsk, Russia.
The boarding was conducted under Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which allows a warship to inspect a foreign vessel on the high seas in specific cases, including suspected false-flag use or lack of nationality.
The case was referred to the Marseille prosecutor, and Deliver was diverted under French naval escort for further checks.
President Emmanuel Macron said the vessel had been boarded while transiting near Sicily “in breach of the law of the sea”.
Deliver, IMO 9194983, is a 150,284-dwt crude oil tanker built in 2000. Public vessel data gives its length as about 274 metres and its beam as 48 metres. The tanker is listed under the Cameroon flag, with Primorsk anchorage as its last reported port and an AIS departure time of June 5.
The UK government sanctioned Deliver in May 2025 among vessels involved in transporting Russian oil. The ship has also been linked in sanctions-tracking material to the shadow fleet, a term used for older and opaque tankers operating outside mainstream compliance channels.
The Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée is the French state maritime authority for the Mediterranean, overseeing government action at sea including safety, public order, environmental protection and action against illegal activity.
The Marine Nationale is the naval branch of the French armed forces.
EUNAVFOR MED Irini is the European Union naval operation in the Mediterranean.
