A ship from Russia transporting cars was detained in the English Channel, it was sent to the port of the commune of Boulogne-sur-Mer, AFP reported.
The ship left the port of Rouen and was heading towards St. Petersburg. In the maritime prefecture of the English Channel and the North Sea, the agency explained the detention of the ship by the fact that the ship “may be associated with Russian interests that are subject to sanctions.”
The Russian embassy in France said that it was a Baltic Leader cargo ship. The reason for the detention of the dry cargo ship was customs inspection, but in reality the inspectors were interested in the documentation, Alexander Makogonov, head of the press service of the embassy, told TASS.
“It later emerged that the French authorities were interested in the documentation of the vessel, which turned out to be the property of PSB Leasing, which, according to the local coast police, is on the US financial sanctions list,” he said.
The embassy noted that the decision on the future fate of the ship will be made in court.