The Chinese citizen, the captain of the tanker Boracay detained by the French Navy, was absent from the court in France. Chen Zhangzhe is required to pay a fine of 150,000 euros. He has been sentenced to imprisonment.

The correctional court of the city of Brest in western France sentenced 39-year-old Chinese citizen Chen Zhangzhe - the captain of the tanker Boracay detained by the French Navy, allegedly part of the "shadow fleet" of the Russian Federation - to one year in prison. In addition, Chen must pay a fine of 150,000 euros, reported the AFP agency on Monday, March 30.

Chen Zhangzhe was not present at the sentencing announcement. According to the investigation, he did not comply with the French authorities' order to stop the vessel.

The tanker was detained in October 2025

French servicemen checked the tanker Boracay on September 27, 2025, near the island of Ouessant off the coast of Brittany due to discrepancies in registration data. The crew claimed that the vessel was sailing under the flag of Benin.

Boracay, previously known as Pushpa, left the port in Russia and was heading to India with a cargo of oil. The prosecution believes it belongs to Russia's "shadow fleet" - tankers and cargo ships that Moscow uses to circumvent sanctions imposed against it for the war against Ukraine.

Two employees of a Russian private security company were on board Boracay when the French Navy stopped it, informed French sources and the captain's lawyer told AFP. According to the agency's interlocutors, the mentioned individuals could be responsible for intelligence gathering.

Incidents with drones over Danish airports

The tanker allegedly passed through Danish waters during a period when multiple drone flyovers over airports were recorded in the country. Officially, no connection has been established between these events. Moscow denies its involvement, AFP reminded.

Danish media did not rule out that the drones could have been launched directly from the ships, including the tanker that came to the attention of French authorities.

The European Union has compiled a list of 598 vessels suspected of belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet," and they are banned from entering European ports and using maritime services of EU countries.

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