European naval forces boarded a suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker MV MIDAG in the Mediterranean Sea, the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. The operation took place on Nov. 13 and was carried out by the EU’s Operation IRINI. Kallas said the tanker was sailing under a false flag, and she linked the boarding to EU efforts to crack down on Russia’s shadow fleet, a network used to move oil while circumventing Western sanctions. The EU boarding was conducted under Article 110 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which allows inspection of ships in certain circumstances. Kallas said the boarding confirmed the MV MIDAG was using a false flag. Ship-tracking data cited in the report showed the vessel was sailing under the flag of Zimbabwe. Kallas said the EU will keep disrupting Russia’s shadow fleet at sea and through diplomatic means. The EU foreign policy chief also said that on Nov. 16 EU foreign ministers are set to approve new Russia sanctions listings, including on banks, buyers, and companies supporting the shadow fleet. She said the bloc has increasingly targeted vessels suspected of being part of the network, including a separate August boarding of another suspected shadow fleet tanker, the MV Sun, in the Mediterranean to verify its flag.