Seized tanker DF Peak reaches Réunion as its Chinese captain is taken into custody

The tanker DF Peak, boarded by the French Navy about 500 nautical miles south of Réunion, arrived early on Thursday 15 October in the Baie de La Possession off the island's north-west coast, AFP reports. According to the prefecture, a search of the ship and its papers confirmed an irregularity in the flag it was flying. The Chinese captain was taken into police custody that morning on suspicion of failing to justify the vessel's nationality, Saint-Denis prosecutor Véronique Denizot said. The other 20 crew, from Indonesia, Myanmar and China, remain aboard under administrative measures. Investigators are seeking to identify the ship's owner and operator, who could face criminal liability.

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