The detention of an oil tanker known to be part of the Russian ghost fleet off the French Atlantic coast city of Saint-Nazaire on Sunday, September 28, is unprecedented. Following the launch of a judicial investigation a day later, two crew members were taken into police custody on October 1. This procedure marked a new step in efforts to contain the movement of such vessels, which Moscow has deliberately used to evade Western sanctions and, at times, as platforms for sabotage operations.

Having departed from Primorsk, near Saint Petersburg, on September 20, the Pushpa, flying the flag of Benin, was officially headed to Vadinar, on India's west coast. Vadinar is home to the country's second-largest refinery, partly owned by the Russian oil group Rosneft, which has been targeted by European sanctions since July.

However, according to data from the Marine Traffic website compiled by Le Monde, the Pushpa's course was blocked by a French military vessel. The French ship had previously tailed the tanker for several hours on high seas. When contacted, the French navy did not specify the reasons for seizing the vessel. However, under Article 110 of the Montego Bay Convention, which governs the law of the sea, a warship encountering a foreign vessel on high seas may detain it under certain conditions.

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