Russian Ghost Fleet Tanker Commander Sentenced to One Year in Prison | EUROtoday

The most sentence of 1 yr in jail and a fantastic of 150,000 euros was handed down on Monday March 30 by French justice in opposition to the commander of the Boracay, an oil tanker from the Russian ghost fleet boarded in September by the French navy, off the coast of Brittany.

In accordance with the prosecution’s requisitions, the Brest legal court docket accompanied the sentence with an arrest warrant in opposition to Chen Zhangjie, of Chinese nationality and aged 39, who was not current when the judgment was learn.

Chen Zhangjie’s lawyer, Me Henri de Richemont, instantly introduced his intention to enchantment this conviction, which he described as “absolutely incomprehensible”.

“I did not expect such a severe sentence,” stated the lawyer, who had pleaded for “pure and simple relaxation” for his consumer, who was at sea on one other ship on Monday.

A hyperlink with the drones that flew over Copenhagen?

The commander of the Boracay was prosecuted for refusing to conform on September 27, 2025, when the French navy needed to examine his 244-meter-long ship whereas it was crusing in worldwide waters.

The ship, which modified its title and flag quite a few occasions, was then suspected of being concerned within the drone flights which disrupted Danish air site visitors in September – a side which was not introduced earlier than the courts.

Belonging to the Russian ghost fleet, utilized by Moscow to avoid Western sanctions in opposition to its oil gross sales, the boat was then off the island of Ouessant (Finistère), with a cargo of Russian oil sure for India, with no seen flag.

“It was raining and we don’t put up a flag when it rains,” Chen Zhangjie defined whereas in police custody.

An hour after being approached by the frigate L’Auvergne, the crew ended up hoisting the flag of Benin. But the Cotonou authorities had already indicated to France that no tanker was registered of their nation.

A commander caught “in the crossfire”

Relaunched quite a few occasions by the French navy, the commander of the Boracay then indicated that he was awaiting authorization from his proprietor to allow them to board. After an hour and a half of discussions, the marine commandos lastly boarded the ship, with out encountering opposition from the crew.

Also learnFrench Navy intercepts cargo tanker coming from Russia within the Western Mediterranean

“The commander was caught in the crossfire, between the navy and his shipowner,” his lawyer informed AFP, assuring that he had at no time refused to conform.

For the prosecution, quite the opposite, the French troopers “faced particular ill will from the captain”, which pressured them to hold out “a dangerous maneuver, likely to cause an accident”, within the phrases of the deputy prosecutor Gabriel Rollin, throughout the listening to on February 23.

His requisitions have been adopted to the letter by the court docket. He notably rejected the arguments of the protection which had argued that the French justice system was not competent to evaluate these information.

“I will uphold international law”

“Applying French law in international waters makes no sense,” Mr. Henri de Richemont stated once more on Monday. “And international law does not give jurisdiction to French courts.”

According to the lawyer, it’s the Montego Bay Convention on the Law of the Sea which ought to have utilized to the current case, which might have led the case to be referred to a Chinese court docket.

“If necessary, we will go before the Court of Cassation. But I will ensure international law is respected,” he stated.

Now known as Phoenix, the previous Boracay now flies a Russian flag. He was crusing on Monday within the Strait of Malacca, between Malaysia and the island of Sumatra (Indonesia).

When it was boarded by the French navy, the tanker had on board two workers of a non-public Russian safety firm accountable for monitoring the crew and amassing intelligence.

With AFP