French Navy boards sanctioned tanker DF Peak 450 miles south of Réunion
The former Sovcomflot Aframax, claiming the flag of Benin, is being escorted to Réunion at a prosecutor's request
The French Navy boarded the Aframax tanker DF Peak on the high seas more than 450 nautical miles south of Réunion on Monday 12 October, on suspicion that she was sailing under a false flag and carrying fuel illicitly. President Emmanuel Macron announced the operation and said France "is determined to fight the shadow fleet, everywhere in the world".
The French Armed Forces General Staff said the purpose was to verify the nationality of a ship claiming the flag of Benin. The boarding was carried out under Article 110 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which allows a warship to board a foreign ship on the high seas when there are reasonable grounds to suspect, among other things, that she is without nationality. The boarding team found doubts about the flag, and at the request of a public prosecutor the tanker was diverted under naval escort. Armed forces minister Catherine Vautrin said she was being taken to Réunion for further checks.
What is DF Peak?
DF Peak is a crude oil tanker of 110,119 dwt, built in South Korea in 2006. She previously traded as NS Captain and later as Kaliningrad in the fleet of Sovcomflot, Russia's state shipping group. The European Union added her to its sanctions list on 25 June 2024, and she is also under US, UK and Ukrainian sanctions.
The operation involved an AS365 Dauphin N3 helicopter of Flottille 34F and one of the Floréal-class frigates based at Port-des-Galets in Réunion under the command of French forces in the southern Indian Ocean. The navy did not say which frigate took part. Réunion's naval station also hosts the frigate Nivôse and the offshore patrol vessels Champlain, Le Malin and the recently delivered Auguste Techer. The cargo's destination and any legal proceedings have not been disclosed.
How often has France done this?
France has diverted several suspected shadow fleet tankers on similar grounds. In 2025 French forces boarded the Benin-flagged Boracay, and a prosecutor in Brest opened an investigation after the crew failed to prove the ship's nationality. In January 2026 France diverted the tanker Grinch on suspicion of a false flag, and in June 2026 the navy boarded the tanker Tabor in the Atlantic and diverted her at a prosecutor's request.
Several other European navies have carried out operations against shadow fleet tankers since January 2026. The boarding of DF Peak takes that campaign far from European waters, into the southern Indian Ocean.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 13 October 2026.
