Germany is trying to rescue a tanker stranded off its northern coast, which it believes is part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” – a network of tankers used to circumvent Western sanctions on Russian oil exports. The 274-meter-long Eventin was sailing from Russia to Egypt with almost 100,000 tonnes of oil when its engine failed and it lost control. Three tugs are now trying to steer the tanker north-east towards safer waters.
The foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has criticized Russia’s use of old tankers to avoid sanctions, calling it a threat to European security. The US and Britain have recently added over 180 ships to their lists of “shadow fleet” vessels, while the EU has already imposed sanctions on more than 70 ships.
The German authorities are working to rescue the Eventin without causing any oil leaks. They say the tanker is moving slowly at a rate of about 2.5 km/h and will wait out strong winds once it reaches safer waters. The incident highlights the ongoing tension between Russia’s oil industry and Western sanctions, with Russia using tankers with opaque ownership or no insurance to continue lucrative exports.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/11/germany-battles-to-secure-russian-shadow-fleet-oil-tanker-adrift-off-northern-coast