No drones found, no evidence either: France releases Russian “shadow fleet” ship

The “shadow fleet” tanker Boracay, suspected of involvement in the launch of drones over Denmark, has continued its journey towards the Suez Canal. The vessel, which was detained by the French military the day before, has been released and has continued its journey.

This is reported by DW , citing data from the MarineTraffic and Vesselfinder services.

According to Le Figaro, on the night of Thursday to Friday, the captain of the ship, a Chinese citizen, and his assistant were returned on board. Previously, the man refused to cooperate with the French authorities, for which he received a summons to appear in court in Brest. The hearing is scheduled for February 23, 2026, and he is accused of “refusal to obey.”

The tanker Boracay, flying the Benin flag, departed the Russian port of Primorsk in the Leningrad region on September 20 and was due to arrive in India. From September 22 to 25, it was off the coast of Denmark, after which unidentified drones began to be recorded flying over airports and military facilities there.

The ship was detained on September 27, and on October 1, French military officers boarded it near the port of Saint-Nazaire. They were looking for evidence that the tanker could have been used as a platform to launch drones. French President Emmanuel Macron said at the time that he “does not rule out” such a scenario.

Earlier this year , the ship was already detained in Estonia, then it was called Kiwala . The Estonian Navy found more than 40 violations, including movement without a valid flag of the country. After eliminating the violations, the tanker was released.

The EU and the UK have added the Boracay to their sanctions lists. Brussels said the vessel was involved in transporting Russian oil and petroleum products and was using “irregular and unsafe shipping methods.”

Recall, it was previously reported that Denmark has published a new assessment of hybrid threats, which states that Russia is waging a systematic pressure campaign against the country and NATO. According to the Director of the Defense Intelligence Service, Thomas Arenkil, Russian warships in the Danish Straits not only jammed GPS, but also aimed weapons at Danish ships and helicopters . Several times they deliberately went to a collision.