Russian embassy challenges France’s detention of DF Peak tanker

Russia’s embassy in France challenged the detention of tanker DF Peak in the Indian Ocean on October 13. Diplomats said they were checking whether any Russian citizens were among its crew.

The embassy said France had not notified Moscow about the detention. It called the French military’s actions a violation of international law and rejected references to sanctions and Article 110 of the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the interception a day earlier. He said the navy boarded the tanker about 450 nautical miles south of Réunion. France suspects the ship of using a false flag and transporting fuel illegally.

Paris describes the operation as consistent with international maritime law, while the Russian embassy disputes that assessment. The opposing positions do not constitute a court ruling on the detention’s legality.

The embassy’s statement did not confirm that Russians were aboard. Diplomats were continuing to establish the crew’s composition.