French military personnel have boarded the oil tanker Boracay, suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and potentially involved in mysterious drone flights that recently forced the closure of airports in Denmark. The tanker, identified by its international maritime order number and previously known as Pushpa, Varuna, and Kiwala, was intercepted by a French naval vessel on Sunday off the coast of north-west France and diverted towards Saint-Nazaire. This action followed an investigation launched by the French public prosecutor due to the crew’s “failure to justify the nationality of the vessel” and “refusal to cooperate.”

The Boracay had been sailing from the Russian oil terminal in Primorsk, near St Petersburg, carrying 750,000 barrels of crude oil, destined for Vadinar in India. Its movements drew suspicion as it was one of four Russia-linked vessels near Denmark during drone sightings on September 22 and 24. Danish airports, including Copenhagen and Aalborg, experienced closures due to these drone incursions, which remain unexplained but are strongly suspected to be Russian-originated. One line of inquiry suggests these drones, likely larger delta or fixed-wing craft, were launched from a ship or ships near Denmark, utilizing catapults easily carried on large vessels.

The term “shadow fleet” refers to vessels whose ownership is difficult to trace or are deceptively identified, used by Russia and other countries to clandestinely trade oil and other goods, often to circumvent economic sanctions imposed following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The UK and EU have listed the Boracay under sanctions. Its history includes a detention by Estonian authorities in April 2023 for sailing without a valid country flag. Russia’s shadow fleet is estimated to comprise between 600 and 1,000 ships. Other commercial vessels, Astrol-1 and Oslo Carrier-3, as well as the Russian warship Aleksandr Shabalin, were also identified in the region at the time of the drone incidents.

The drone incursions are part of what Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described as a “hybrid war” faced by Europe, explicitly linking them to Russia’s willingness to threaten the continent. Similar drone activities were reported over military sites and infrastructure in northern Germany. In response, European leaders are convening an EU summit in Copenhagen to discuss developing a “drone wall” to counter these threats, followed by a meeting of the European Political Community. Several European nations, including the UK, have deployed anti-drone defenses to assist Denmark, highlighting the collective effort to address these escalating security challenges.