(B2) The frigate Jean Bart blocked an oil tanker last Friday (May 22). He sought to violate the arms embargo on Libya
The frigate Jean Bart is back in Toulon (credit: French Navy)
The Jal Laxmi, a United Arab Emirates oil tanker, was en route to the port of Tobruk, controlled by the forces of General Khalifa Haftar. This as part of a sale of refined products, according to the Bloomberg press agency. The French frigate Jean Bart blocked the tanker for several days.
Return to Toulon
Since, the anti-aircraft frigate returned to Toulon. " After a deployment of several weeks in the central Mediterranean as part of the European Union's operation Irini, the frigate found its base “, announced the national navy on Saturday (May 30).
An operation without ships
This currently leaves Operation Irini without ships, again. On the Italian side, the ship St. George, which will be the flagship of the operation, should join the area of operation shortly. As for the Greeks, their arrival in the operation was delayed. They had to change boats (read: The damaged Hydra frigate is replaced by the Spetsai frigate).
Comment: a gesture of bad humor
Even if the French Navy claims that this return was planned, this departure from the area of operation without a guaranteed relay is not a very positive sign. It can be interpreted as a bad-tempered, political gesture, although the exact reason can give two interpretations. Is it all about force generation? France has kept its word by providing a ship, while the other two contributors are dragging their feet. Or is it a more geopolitical reason? The arrest of an Emirati ship, on the orders of the operation command, while France, Egypt, Greece, Cyprus and the Emirates agreed to work together on Libya, may have made more waves in Paris ? While this Tuesday, a debate on Irini takes place at the United Nations Security Council - to renew the authorization for arms control inspection - it is a new challenge for the operation, which is struggling to assert itself .
Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).
