The French Navy has successfully intercepted the oil tanker Deliver, a vessel found to be illicitly operating under the Cameroonian flag despite being sanctioned by authorities in Yaoundé.
Following the recent seizures of the vessels Tagor and Smyrtos in the English Channel earlier this June for similar registration fraud, maritime security forces have now halted the tanker Deliver. On Tuesday, June 23, an inspection of the ship’s documentation confirmed long-standing suspicions regarding the legitimacy of its claims to be a Cameroun-registered vessel.
The Deliver had already been blacklisted by Cameroun after the previous incidents involving the Tagor and Smyrtos. Investigations suggest that this tanker is part of a broader “shadow fleet” linked to Russian interests, aimed at bypassing international maritime regulations. The interception occurred while the vessel was navigating off the coast of Sicile, in direct violation of established maritime laws.
This operation marks a significant step in the ongoing European effort to dismantle the shadow fleets that facilitate the financing of the Russian war effort by circumventing global sanctions. The French government has emphasized that these deceptive maritime practices will not be tolerated, as they pose a threat to both international security and environmental safety.
In response to the misuse of its national identity, the Ministry of Transport in Cameroun has taken decisive action, recently sanctioning and removing 39 vessels from its registry. These measures are part of a larger strategy by Yaoundé to perform physical audits and digitize its maritime records. By tightening control over the ships allowed to fly its flag, Cameroun aims to protect the integrity of its maritime label and prevent its name from being associated with illegal international activities.