French foreign minister says sanctioned Russian tanker departed after 'costly' detention

France's foreign minister said on Tuesday a tanker linked to Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" has departed French waters after being immobilized for weeks and paying millions of euros, in what he described as a warning against evading EU sanctions.

"Bypassing European sanctions comes at a price. Russia will no longer be able to fund its war with impunity through a ghost fleet off our coasts. The tanker Grinch is leaving French waters after shelling out several million euros and three weeks of costly immobilization at Fos-sur-Mer," Jean-Noel Barrot said on US social media company X.

Barrot did not specify the exact amount paid or provide further details about the tanker's ownership or cargo.

Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille, is a major Mediterranean oil and shipping hub where authorities have tightened scrutiny of vessels suspected of helping Moscow bypass Western sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine.

European governments have increasingly targeted Russia's "shadow fleet," aging or obscurely owned ships accused of transporting sanctioned oil, as part of efforts to curb Kremlin revenues and enforce restrictions on energy exports.