The Russian oil tanker detained by France following the drone alarm in Denmark has continued on its journey, ship tracking apps Vesselfinder and Marine Traffic showed on Friday, after its captain was held by officials.
The ship set off from the French Atlantic coast overnight and was heading towards the Suez Canal.
France had taken the captain and his first officer into police custody on suspicions of a connection with drone incursions into Danish airspace late last month.
But on Friday, the captain and his first officer were able to return to the tanker, broadcaster France Info reported, citing the authorities. The public prosecutor’s office confirmed that both were released.
The French navy had seized the tanker Boracay last Saturday off the Breton island of île d’Ouessant due to discrepancies regarding its flag.
The captain and first officer were detained on suspicion of being unable to prove the “nationality of the ship.”
French officials now require the captain to appear before a French court on February 23 next year for allegedly failing to follow official French instructions during a sea inspection. The other charges were dropped.
The tanker appears to be on its way from Russia to India, transporting oil, the public prosecutor’s office said.
Officials may suspect it is part of Russian shadow fleet, meaning tankers and other cargo ships used by Moscow to circumvent sanctions particularly in oil transport.
The detentions came as reports suggested the tanker passed through Danish waters at the same time that drones caused several disruptions at Danish airports last week.
It remains unclear who caused the incidents, with many suspecting Russian involvement, though the Kremlin dismissed the allegations as “baseless.”
Some suspect the drones may have been controlled from a ship. Danish media reports mentioned several ships recently, including the Boracay.
An aerial view at the western French port of Saint-Nazaire ahows French soldiers on board the tanker of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” suspected of being involved in drone flights over Denmark, cruising off the Danish coast between September 22 and 25. Damien Meyer/AFP/dpa