France intercepts Russian cargo ship in Channel
The French navy intercepted a freighter carrying a cargo of cars in the Channel on Friday night on Saturday on suspicion of violating EU sanctions against Russia. The ship, which carried the Russian flag, was en route from the French city of Rouen to the Russian port city of Saint Petersburg.
French customs detained the ship during a patrol. Customs was supported by police and navy boats. The cargo ship is believed to be owned by a company hit by EU sanctions against Moscow. “There are strong suspicions that the ship could be linked to Russian interests affected by the sanctions,” France’s maritime prefecture said on Saturday.
The European Union on Friday imposed sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. These include restricting the export of some high-tech products and goods that could also serve military purposes. It is not clear which rules would have been violated by the company concerned.
The 127-meter freighter has been escorted to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Customs will conduct further investigations there. The Russian embassy in France has asked for an explanation from the French authorities, the Russian state news agency RIA reported.