Berliner Tageblatt - France prolongs detention of two from Russia 'shadow fleet' vessel

The Boracay, a Benin-flagged vessel blacklisted by the European Union for being part of Russia's sanction-busting "shadow fleet" of ageing oil tankers, was stationed off Denmark from September 22 to 25, according to ship tracking data analysed by AFP.

Drones have been sighted across Denmark, including over military sites, since September 22, prompting brief closures at several airports and a ban on all civilian drone flights until Friday.

The tanker is now stationed of the coast of western France, and was stopped by French authorities on Saturday, according to a military source who asked not to be named.

Prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger told AFP that two crew members -- who presented themselves as the ship's captain and his first mate -- had been taken into custody on Tuesday.

That detention was then extended on Wednesday, the public prosecutor in the northwestern French city of Brest said.

His office opened an investigation following a report from the navy.

The probe was launched over the crew's "failure to justify the nationality of the vessel" and "refusal to cooperate", Kellenberger told AFP.

French military personnel on Thursday remained on board the tanker, now stationed off the coast of western France, according to a military source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Built in 2007 and variously known as Pushpa and Kiwala, the Boracay has been anchored off Saint-Nazaire in western France for several days.

According to the specialist website The Maritime Executive, the 244-metre (801-foot) vessel is suspected of being involved in mystery drone flights that disrupted air traffic in Denmark in September.

The publication said the tanker and other ships could have been used either as launch platforms or as decoys.

The European Union has sanctioned hundreds of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

A.Gasser--BTB