French authorities announced Thursday that they will bring to trial the captain of the ship Boracay, a suspected Russian oil transport vessel that has been blacklisted by the EU as a part of Moscow’s “shadow fleet,” which circumvents sanctions placed on Russian oil exports.

Officials boarded the Benin-flagged ship on September 27 off the coast of Denmark after crew members failed to confirm the vessel’s nationality and refused to cooperate. The captain and the first mate, both Chinese nationals, were detained and brought to France with the Boracay, which is now anchored off the nation’s Atlantic coast.

The first mate has been released with no charges, but the captain of the vessel has been ordered to appear in court February 23 and if convicted could face one year in prison and a fine of $175,000.

Speaking at a summit in Denmark, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “It is extremely important to increase the pressure on this shadow fleet, because it will clearly reduce the capacity to finance this war effort.” Macron claimed the shadow fleet is comprised of hundreds of ships that make up “tens of billions of euros of Russia’s budget” and “40 percent of the Russian war effort.”

The Boracay is also suspected of being involved in a recent series of drone sightings over Denmark, which prompted a ban on all civilian drone flights until Friday, as well as several disruptions at various airports. The ship was allegedly used as a launch site for drones to conduct surveillance on Danish military installations. Russia has denied any involvement.

The EU has been slowly trying to end its dependency on Russian oil since May 2022 with the REPowerEU initiative.