Germany said that a Russian “shadow” oil tanker was stuck in the Baltic Sea

German authorities have said an oil tanker stuck in German waters belongs to a Russian “shadow fleet” that Berlin says is being used to evade sanctions.

The German Maritime Authority (CCME) said on Friday that the Panamanian-flagged vessel known as the Eventin had lost power and steering, meaning tugboats had been called in to secure the vessel.

German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock hit out at Moscow, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of “circumventing” sanctions and threatening European security by “ruthlessly deploying a fleet of rusty tankers”.

Russia, which previously refused to respond to accusations of using a shadow fleet, has not yet commented on this incident.

The US, UK and EU have imposed sanctions on Russia’s oil industry after a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In its first report on the tanker 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 the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea north of the German island of Rugen.

A team of four specialists was lowered to the vessel by helicopter on Friday evening to install the towing connections, which were secured. Three tugs took control of the “injured vessel” which was “unable to maneuver”.

Maritime authorities said on Friday evening that no oil leaks had been detected.

In the last update on Saturday evening, German maritime authorities said the tow convoy around the tanker was on its way to Zasnitz, a town on Rugen Island, and would arrive early Sunday.

Earlier, authorities said the convoy of tugs rescuing the Eventin remained north of Rügen and was moving east “slowly” at about 2.5 kilometers per hour (1.5 miles per hour).

The CCME said they had taken safety precautions given the rough seas, as the area where the vessel was located saw waves of 2.5 meters (8 feet) and increased wind gusts.

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

“Russia endangers our European security not only with its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, but also with severed cables, displaced border buoys, disinformation campaigns, GPS jamming and, as we have seen, half-destroyed oil tankers,” the German foreign minister said. in the statement.

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

The European bloc’s comments came after undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged by a suspected vessel that the EU believes was part of Russia’s shadow fleet.

The move was another move by Western countries to strike at the Kremlin’s oil industry in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since tougher embargo measures were imposed to stop Russia from exporting oil, Moscow is believed to be using ships with an unclear title to transport goods, namely oil, around the world.

According to the Atlantic Council, a US think tank, Russia is “instrumentalizing the dark navy, using it especially as the main pipeline for oil exports.”

The shadow fleet, or dark fleet, is the name given to outdated ships that sail “without standard Western industry insurance, have opaque ownership, frequently change their names and flag registrations, and generally operate outside the rules of the sea,” according to the Atlantic Council. .

The latest incident in the Baltic Sea came as Washington and London joined forces to impose direct sanctions against energy companies Gazprom Nafta and Surgutnaftagaz.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the move to weaken Russian oil companies would “deplete Russia’s military chest”, adding that funds taken “from Putin’s hands are helping to save Ukrainian lives”.

But Gazprom Nafta called the sanctions “baseless” and “illegitimate,” according to Russian state news agencies.

Also on Friday, the US Treasury Department said it had imposed sanctions on 183 vessels that are “part of the shadow fleet, as well as oil tankers owned by Russian fleet operators.”