The tanker Tagor, which left the Russian port of Murmansk and was suspected of illegally flying a Cameroonian flag, was intercepted on 31 May roughly 400 nautical miles (about 740 kilometres) west of Brittany. The vessel, reportedly heading for Limbe in Cameroon, underwent a nationality check at sea under Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Escorted by the French navy, it was subsequently diverted to France.
Yaoundé condemns fraudulent use of its flag
In a statement broadcast on public radio, Cameroon’s transport minister, Jean Ernest Masséna Ngalle Bibehe, declared that the Tagor “does not appear in any of the official registers of vessels authorised to fly the Cameroonian flag.” He condemned “with rigour the fraudulent and abusive use of the attributes of Cameroonian nationality” and called on “the international community to take drastic measures against such abuses.” Yaoundé also reiterated its commitment to continue “the process of cleaning up and modernising its flag registry.”
The formal declaration aims to distance Cameroon from any link to a vessel that maritime authorities describe as part of the “ghost fleet” – ships used to route sanctioned oil onto international markets by sea. The affair highlights the vulnerability of national flag registries to actors seeking to circumvent oversight mechanisms.
France’s fourth interception since September 2025
According to maritime authorities, the interception of the Tagor is part of a series of French operations targeting this opaque fleet. It is the fourth such intervention since September 2025. After inspections, the case was referred to the Brest public prosecutor’s office, which has jurisdiction over maritime matters.
The vessel has remained anchored since 2 June in the bay of Douarnenez, in the Finistère department, as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. The increasing number of such interceptions at sea reflects tighter European controls on oil export channels that circumvent international sanctions regimes.
