France directs DF Peak tanker toward Reunion for flag checks

The DF Peak tanker detained by French forces is being directed toward Reunion on a prosecutor's orders. French armed forces spokesperson Xavier Rival said on October 13 that doubts about the vessel's flag remain unresolved.

Rival said questions about the flag under which the tanker was sailing had prompted the inspection. Directing the vessel toward the island will allow further examination. Reunion is a French territory in the Indian Ocean.

President Emmanuel Macron announced the operation the previous day. He said the tanker was intercepted about 450 nautical miles south of the island and linked the detention to suspicions of false-flag registration and illicit fuel transportation.

Russia's embassy in France challenged the legality of the French operation and said it was checking whether any Russian citizens were among the crew. The French suspicions and the Russian legal assessment remain the parties' positions. The vessel's diversion toward Reunion does not establish that a court has proved the alleged violations.