Spain did not detain the oil tanker Chariot Tide, which has been linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet.” On January 27, Spain’s maritime rescue service launched an operation to escort the vessel to the Moroccan port of Tanger-Med.
According to AFP, the tanker’s engine failed on January 22. The vessel was anchored off the coast of Morocco, but was pushed eastward by a storm. It first entered the area of responsibility of the Moroccan authorities and was later—without propulsion—carried into international waters, where Spain is responsible for search-and-rescue operations.
Chariot Tide, previously known as Marabella Sun, sails under the flag of Mozambique and has been under sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United Kingdom since November 2024.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of European countries’ efforts to step up pressure on Russia’s shadow fleet. Earlier, for example, French authorities seized one of the tankers in the Mediterranean. So far, such cases remain isolated, and vessels are most often later released—international law does not allow ships to be held in neutral waters. In several European countries, attempts are being made to establish legal grounds for such actions, but disputes over this issue are ongoing.
Blocking Russian ports could be seen as a step toward direct military confrontation between Russia and European states. For now, Europe has not crossed this line—there have been no mass detentions of vessels—but tensions around the issue are gradually rising.