le toa payoh pantelleria istanbul tunisie

Italy stops a Russian "phantom fleet" tanker with the help of a PHOTOS helicopter

The Toa Payoh, flying the Cameroonian flag, was heading from Benin to Istanbul when it was intercepted west of the Italian island of Pantelleria, located

Reliability 55 · moderate41 min agoAugust 2, 2026

Center1
Center-right1

2 sources1 independent voice

1 agency rewrite / co-publication detected

Summary

The Toa Payoh, flying the Cameroonian flag, was travelling from Benin to Istanbul when it was intercepted west of the Italian island of Pantelleria, located between Sicily and Tunisia. In addition to an Italian frigate, a Greek ship and a Polish aircraft also participated in the operation. In July, the Reuters news agency reported, citing anonymous military sources, that the EU was increasingly conducting investigations into ships flying Cameroonian flag, as this flag is regularly used by phantom fleet vessels.

Furthermore, "The Russian ghost fleet is more than a thousand ships that behave like traffickers" An investigation is under way to determine whether the Toa Payoh, subject to EU sanctions, has breached certain rules, in particular by sailing under false flags. After the tragic Russian strike, Zelensky points out a country: a "mad regime" The master of the vessel initially refused to cooperate in the inspection, following which the tanker was stopped by a helicopter.

Factual coreconfirmed by several independent voices

The Toa Payoh, flying the Cameroonian flag, was travelling from Benin to Istanbul when it was intercepted west of the Italian island of Pantelleria, located between Sicily and Tunisia.
reliability low1/2 sources
In addition to an Italian frigate, a Greek ship and a Polish aircraft also participated in the operation.
reliability low1/2 sources

Reported detailssecondary facts, each attributed to its source

In July, the Reuters news agency reported, citing anonymous military sources, that the EU was increasingly conducting investigations into ships flying Cameroonian flag, as this flag is regularly used by phantom fleet vessels.
according to La Libre Belgique
"The Russian ghost fleet is more than a thousand ships that behave like traffickers" An investigation is under way to determine whether the Toa Payoh, subject to EU sanctions, has breached certain rules, in particular by sailing under false flags.
according to La Libre Belgique
After the tragic Russian strike, Zelensky points out a country: a "mad regime" The master of the vessel initially refused to cooperate in the inspection, following which the tanker was stopped by a helicopter.
according to DH Les Sports+