Germany says Russian “shadow” oil tanker stuck in Baltic Sea

German authorities say an oil tanker stuck in German waters belongs to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which Berlin says is using it to evade sanctions.

German maritime authorities (CCME) said on Friday that the Panamanian-flagged ship, known as the Eventin, had lost power and steering, meaning tugboats were deployed to secure the vessel.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has blamed Moscow, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of “circumventing” sanctions and threatening European security by “relentlessly deploying a fleet of rusty tankers”.

Russia, which has previously refused to respond to accusations that it uses a shadow fleet, has not yet commented on this incident.

The US, the UK and the EU have done it imposed the punishments About the Russian oil industry after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In the first report of the ship adrift in German waters, the CCME said the vessel was 274m (898ft) long and 48m (157ft) wide and was carrying about 99,000 tonnes of oil.

German maritime authorities said the oil tanker was drifting at low speed in coastal waters of the Baltic Sea, north of the German island of Rügen.

On Friday night, a team of four specialists descended on the vessel by helicopter to establish and secure the towing connections. Three tugboats took control of the “wrecked ship” which is “unable to maneuver”.

Maritime authorities said Friday night that no oil spill had been detected.

In the last update on Saturday in the evening, German maritime authorities said the tow convoy around the ship was bound for Sassnitz, a town on the island of Rügen, and would arrive early Sunday.

Earlier, authorities said the convoy of tugboats working to rescue Eventin remained north of Rügen and was moving “slowly” east at about 2.5 km per hour (1.5 mph).

The CCME said safety measures were taken in view of the rough seas where the vessel was experiencing 2.5m high (8ft) waves and gusting winds.

Although the ship is flying the Panamanian flag, German authorities have blamed Russia for the incident.

“Russia is endangering our European security not only with its illegal aggression against Ukraine, but also with cut cables, border buoys, disinformation campaigns, GPS jammers and, as we have seen, damaged oil tankers,” the German foreign minister said. in a statement

Last December, the European Union said it was working on measures including sanctions against “Russia’s shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment while funding Russia’s war budget”.

The European bloc’s statements came after cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged by a suspected ship, which the EU believes was part of Russia’s shadow fleet.

The move was another step by Western countries to counter the Kremlin’s oil industry in response to Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.

Since tougher embargo measures were imposed to stop Russia’s oil exports, Moscow is believed to be using ships of unclear ownership to transport commodities around the world, namely oil.

The Atlantic Council, a US-based think tank, reported that Russia is “instrumentalizing the dark fleet, primarily using it as a primary means of transportation for oil exports.”

The shadow fleet, or dark fleet, refers to “old ships that sail without western industry standard insurance, have opaque ownership, frequently change names and flag registrations, and generally operate outside maritime regulations,” according to the Atlantic Council. .

The latest incident in the Baltic Sea occurred when Washington and London joined efforts to directly sanction the energy companies Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the move to undermine Russian oil companies would “empty Russia’s war chest”, adding that “funds taken from Putin’s hands are helping to save lives in Ukraine”.

But Gazprom Neft denounced the sanctions as “baseless” and “illegitimate,” Russian state news agencies reported.

Also on Friday, the US Treasury Department said it had sanctioned “183 vessels that are part of the Shadow Fleet and oil tankers of Russia-based fleet operators”.