French military helicopters supported Belgian forces in the seizure of an oil tanker allegedly linked to Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ in the North Sea late on 28 February, President Emmanuel Macron said.
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Prosecutors said the tanker, identified as the Ethera, was falsely flying the flag of Guinea and was believed to be on its way back to Russia when it was seized in Belgium’s exclusive economic zone.
Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office said the ship’s captain, a Russian citizen, was being questioned and a criminal investigation was under way. In a statement, the office added that ship’s documents found on the Ethera were also suspected of being false.
Belgian defence minister Theo Francken said the vessel was escorted to Zeebrugge harbour, where it will be officially confiscated
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