On Monday the French Navy detained the oil tanker, the DF Peak, some 450 nautical miles south of Reunion in the Indian Ocean.
The detention was confirmed by the French President on X.
The vessel is suspected of flying a false flag, and of being involved in the “illegal transportation of fuel”.
The vessel is reported to be sanctioned by all of United States, Canada, the EU, Ukraine, Switzerland, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
This is the first such reported action by an EU Member State in the Indian Ocean.