Belgium, France use NH90 helicopters to board sanctioned “shadow fleet” tanker

Belgian Special Operations Forces boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the North Sea overnight in an operation that relied heavily on airborne support, with two French Navy NH90 helicopters used to insert troops onto the ship, according to Belgian and French military statements.

Belgium’s Ministry of Defence said the operation began after the patrol vessel Pollux intercepted the tanker, after which operators from Belgium’s Special Operations Forces boarded the vessel and secured key compartments including the bridge and engine room. The ship was then escorted to the port of Zeebrugge for further investigation.

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said the operation, dubbed Blue Intruder, resulted in the tanker being brought to Zeebrugge “for seizure,” thanking France for its support and praising the troops involved for “courage, precision, and determination.”

Airborne support “to enforce maritime international law”

The Belgian ministry said two Belgian Air Component and two French Navy NH90 helicopters provided the air support required for the operation, alongside the patrol vessel and fast boats.

France’s armed forces also posted that French assets intervened in support of Belgium to enforce international maritime law, pointing to close coordination between the two militaries and linking the action to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

French Navy-released footage appears to show a French naval aviation patch on one crew member inside the helicopter hoisting Belgian soldiers onto the tanker, a detail that would suggest the insertion aircraft itself may have been French.

Dutch outlet Marineschepen pointed out that French helicopters conducted the insertion because Belgium’s naval NH90s lack a fast-rope capability. It quoted Francken saying that Belgian NH90s were positioned for potential fire support in case the boarding met armed resistance, a contingency that ultimately proved unnecessary.

European coordination in the North Sea

RTBF reported that the boarded tanker, identified as Ethera, has been listed since October 2025 on the EU list of vessels whose activity is to be restricted, because it is considered part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” or a contributor to Russian energy revenues funding the war against Ukraine.

The EU’s legal text describes Ethera as a vessel that “transports crude oil or petroleum products”, or Russian-origin mineral products, and that practices “irregular and high-risk shipping practices.”