Two Russian security personnel aboard France-seized oil tanker

Russian Oil Tanker – (Web Desk) – Two employees of a Russian private security firm were aboard a suspected Russian “shadow fleet” tanker that France seized in September, according to a French source and a lawyer speaking to AFP on Monday.

The men worked for Moran Security Group, a Russian private security company, and were assigned to monitor the crew and gather intelligence, a source familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

Dozens of vessels in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” reportedly have similar security teams, which escort tankers in the Baltic and Atlantic oceans. Moran Security provides many of these crews.

“When these ships pass near European coasts or military areas, they take photos of our vessels,” the source added.

Earlier reports in December by CNN noted that Russian personnel aboard oil-carrying ships had been involved in spying activities in European waters, citing Western and Ukrainian intelligence.

The tanker, Boracay, is believed to be part of a fleet transporting Russian oil in violation of Western sanctions imposed after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

French authorities boarded the ship in September, briefly detaining its captain and first mate. The vessel, which claimed to be flagged in Benin, was later allowed to continue its journey.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the seizure as “piracy.”

According to AFP, the Russian tanker Boracay, seized by France, had two Russian security personnel on board, one of whom previously worked for Wagner.

Their role was to protect the vessel and ensure the captain followed orders aligned with Russian interests.

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On Monday, the Boracay’s Chinese captain went on trial in absentia in Brest, western France. Prosecutors are seeking a one-year sentence for failing to comply with orders to stop the ship.

The two Russian security personnel aboard were identified as Aleksander T., 34, and Maksim D., 40. Maksim is a former police officer who previously worked with the Russian mercenary group Wagner.

Their main role was to protect the vessel and ensure the captain followed orders aligned with Russian interests, while also collecting intelligence, the source said.

Moran Security Group, reportedly founded by former FSB officers, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

In January, French forces and their allies boarded another suspected Russian “shadow fleet” tanker, the Grinch. The source said there were no Russian security personnel aboard that vessel.

The presence of two Russian nationals on board the Boracay was confirmed by the lawyer of the Chinese captain.

“There were two Russian citizens on board the ship,” lawyer Henri de Richemont told AFP.

“They represented the cargo,” he said, adding they were “not sailors”.

“My client has nothing to do with their presence,” the lawyer said. “He is not the one who put Russians on board his vessel.”

During Monday’s hearing, the presiding judge read out statements made by the Chinese captain Chen Zhangjie, 39, while in police custody.

“I don’t know what they are doing on the boat,” he was quoted as saying.

“This is not common,” he said.

He added that Russian personnel were “already present” during a previous trip on the Boracay in July.

The captain and his first officer were taken into police custody before being allowed to return to sea with the two Russians, who disembarked during a stopover in Suez several days later, according to the lawyer.

French military personnel remained on board for several days after the ship was boarded, according to a military source. It was not immediately clear where the two Russians were during the captain and first mate’s time in custody.

The Boracay has been linked to mysterious drone flights over Denmark last year including military sites, part of a spate of drone sightings and airspace violations in European countries blamed on Russia. No formal link has been established, and Moscow denies responsibility.

Questioned by AFP, the intelligence chief of a European country bordering Russia said they had noticed the presence of Moran Security personnel aboard vessels of Russia’s “shadow fleet”, “sometime last year”.

“There is coordination between those private military companies and the state,” he added.

“The shadow fleet is very active, they use military ships to follow the shadow fleet,” he said.

He said the number of vessels of Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Baltic was increasing.

“Sixty percent of Russian oil goes through the Baltic, it is a lifeline.”

Some sanctioned tankers have been suspected of sabotage, notably of damaging undersea cables in Baltic waters.

But Didier Maleterre, former deputy commander at NATO Allied Maritime Command, said it was usually difficult “to obtain proof of intent to sabotage”.

“European countries rarely communicate this kind of information,” he said.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron called on the European Union to keep increasing pressure on Russia over its war against Ukraine and adopt a package of sanctions that would ban shipping services for Russian crude oil.

In 2024, the US Treasury announced sanctions against Moran for offering armed security services and operating “under contract to Russian state-owned enterprises”. It listed Russian national Alexey Badikov as the outfit’s chief executive officer.

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The company claims long-standing experience in the Middle East and in Africa, where it has carried out anti-piracy operations, notably in Nigeria and the Indian Ocean.

Moran’s president, Vyacheslav Kalashnikov, is a retired FSB lieutenant colonel, according to the Warsaw Institute, a Polish think tank.

On Monday, the Boracay, which now sails under the Russian flag and has been renamed Phoenix, was anchored near the port of Rizhao in northeastern China, according to Marine Traffic.