The French Navy has seized an oil tanker in the Western Mediterranean that President Emmanuel Macron identified as part of Russia’s shadow fleet, a network of vessels used to export oil despite Western sanctions.

Local sources told Reuters that the Mozambique-flagged tanker, named Deyna, was suspected of flying a false flag while sailing from the Russian port of Murmansk. The operation was conducted in coordination with British naval forces, according to the French Mediterranean prefecture.

Russia did not immediately respond to the seizure. Previously, Moscow has characterized similar incidents involving its tankers or cargo vessels as acts of piracy.

At the request of prosecutors, the French military said the vessel was escorted to an anchorage for further inspection. President Macron described the ships as “conflict  profiteers” that circumvent international sanctions and violate the law of the sea in a post on X. This interception marks the second such operation by France in recent months. In January, French authorities stopped the oil tanker Grinch in the waters between southern Spain and northern Morocco, also on suspicion of being part of the Russian shadow fleet.