A SANCTIONED shadow fleet* tanker that has been routinely using multiple fake identities to carry Russian crude and is one of three ships identified as a possible launch point for the drones that closed Copenhagen’s airport last week, is now under investigation by the French authorities.

Boracay (IMO: 9332810), an 18-year-old aframax currently using the fraudulent Benin flag, deviated towards the French coast on Monday, having been approached by a French naval vessel.

While Lloyd’s List understands that the vessel has not been formally detained, it is anchored off Saint Nazaire, while French authorities investigate what the French Navy described on Tuesday as an unspecified “suspected violation”.

A 160 m vessel — not visible on Automatic Identification System, but identifiable by satellite imagery — appears to be anchored alongside the tanker.

The prosecutors office in Brest, where the formal report was lodged by the navy, is understood to be investigating the tanker for “lack of documentation of the ship’s nationality and flag affiliation” and “refusal to comply with the authorities’ instructions.”

While Boracay’s rotation through multiple name changes and fake flags from Gambia, Malawi and now Benin is well documented, the French investigation marks a significant move away from previous hands-off monitoring of fraudulent-flagged shadow fleet tankers from European states.

EU coastal authorities have routinely been asking fraudulently flagged vessels for certification over the past year, but to date Boracay is one of the only ships to be intercepted by naval forces and formally investigated.

Boracay was one of three ships with Russian links that were understood to be under investigation in Denmark, after suspected drone sightings led Danish authorities to briefly close Copenhagen airport last week. The Danish government, however, has made no move to detain the vessels.

While no details were released, it is understood that the Danish security services are actively investigating the possibility the drones were launched from one of three ships that were in the vicinity at the time of the attacks: Astrol- 1 (IMO: 9906544), Oslo Carrier 3 (IMO: 9366146) and Boracay, at that point still listed under its previous name Pushpa.

Boracay had previously loaded Russian crude in Primorsk on September 20 before sailing through the Baltic, passing the English Channel heading for India.

Boracay has gone through frequent name changes over the past year and also routinely altering its MMSI identity number, its flags, and is owned by Baaj Shipping Limited, a brass plate company registered in the Seychelles.

The tanker was also targeted in an explosive attack in July, when the sanctioned tanker is thought to have been damaged by a limpet mine. Details of the attack remain unconfirmed, but the tanker has continued to sail since the incident.

While Boracay’s textbook deceptive shipping practices have resulted in it being tracked by EU naval vessels when passing through European waters, interception by naval forces are rare amid widespread concerns about Russian escalation.

On May 14, 2025, the Estonian Navy attempted to intercept the oil tanker Jaguar, now named Blint (IMO: 9293002) in the Gulf of Finland, but the vessel refused orders to alter course and continued towards Russia.

The incident escalated when a Russian Su-35 fighter jet entered Estonian airspace to monitor the situation, resulting in a tense standoff that concluded when Estonia escorted the tanker out of its maritime zone without using force.

Boracay was also involved in a similar incident when it was sailing under one of its many previous identities, Kiwala. The Estonian navy seized the tanker in April 2025 due to issues with its registration and insurance.

The tanker was flying the flag of Djibouti at the time, but Djibouti authorities denied the vessel was registered with them. It was also found to be operating without a valid country flag and insurance.

After receiving confirmation from Djibouti that it would accept the vessel, and once its technical issues were addressed, Estonia released Kiwala in late April 2025.

* Lloyd’s List defines a tanker as being part of the Shadow Fleet if it engages in one or more deceptive shipping practices indicating that it is involved in the facilitation of sanctioned oil cargoes from Iran, Russia or Venezuela. Or it is sanctioned for participation in sanctioned oil trades or is sanctioned for links to a company that is sanctioned for facilitating the export of sanctioned oil.