[1] On 19 February 2022, Baltic Leader arrived in Rouen to load a cargo of automobiles.

That night, while transiting through the English Channel, the ship was intercepted and instructed to redirect to Pas-de-Calais by French maritime authorities.

[3] After being surrounded by three customs patrol boats, the Baltic Leader was boarded, inspected, and seized.

One new sanction was on the state-owned bank Promsvyazbank, which controls Baltic Leader, and was cited by French authorities as justification for the seizure of the ship.

[4] The Russian embassy in Paris sent a message to the French foreign ministry formally protesting the seizure.