French Navy Intercepts Suspected Russian Tanker in Western Mediterranean

The French Navy intercepted and seized a sanctioned Russian tanker suspected of flying a false flag Friday in the Western Mediterranean. The French Navy boarded tanker MT Deyna, flying a Mozambican flag as it sailed from Murmansk, Russia, according to a news release from the Maritime Prefecture of the Mediterranean. Headed by a naval officer, the Maritime Prefect is France’s representative at sea, responsible for maritime safety. The operation was conducted on the basis of Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea with the aim of verifying the nationality of the tanker, which is