ISTANBUL

France has released the captain of an oil tanker suspected of belonging to Russia's shadow fleet, authorities announced on Wednesday.

The Marseille prosecutor's office announced that the captain of the oil tanker, called Grinch, was released from custody on Monday, according to broadcaster BFM TV.

The 58-year-old Indian captain was taken into custody on Saturday evening for allegedly flying a false flag after the French navy boarded the tanker last Thursday.

“The investigations, carried out by the maritime gendarmerie under the authority of the Marseille public prosecutor’s office, are ongoing,” the prosecutor’s office also said in a press release.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that the navy boarded an oil tanker on the high seas in the Mediterranean, coming from Russia and suspected of violating international sanctions.

"We will not tolerate any violation. This morning, the French Navy boarded an oil tanker coming from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag," Macron wrote on US social media company X.