German authorities have said the oil tanker stuck in German waters belongs to Russia’s “shadow fleet”, which Berlin says is being used to evade sanctions.
The German Maritime Authority (CCME) said on Friday that the Panamanian-flagged ship, known as the Eventin, had lost its servo and steering, meaning tugboats had been deployed to secure the vessel.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock blamed Moscow, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of “circumventing” sanctions and threatening European security by “ruthlessly deploying a fleet of rusty tankers”.
Russia, which has previously refused to respond to accusations that it uses a shadow fleet, has yet to comment on the incident.
USA, UK and EU have imposed sanctions on the Russian oil industry after a Russian all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In its first report on the tanker floating in German waters, the CCME said the ship was 274m (898ft) long and 48m (157ft) wide and was carrying around 99,000 tonnes of oil.
German maritime authorities said the oil tanker was sailing at low speed in the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea, north of the German island of Rügen.
A four-man team of experts was lowered onto the vessel by helicopter on Friday evening to establish the towing connections, which have been secured. Three tugs took control of the “stricken vessel” which was “unmaneuverable”.
Maritime authorities announced on Friday evening that no oil leak had been detected.
In the latest update on Saturday evening, German maritime authorities said a convoy towing the tanker was headed to 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 east “slowly,” at a speed of about 2.5 km per hour (1.5 mph).
The CCME said they had taken safety precautions in light of rough seas, as the area where the ship was located was under 2.5m (8ft) waves and strong gusts of wind.
Although the ship flies the Panamanian flag, the German authorities blamed Russia for the incident.
“Russia threatens our European security not only with its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, but also with severed cables, moved border buoys, disinformation campaigns, GPS jammers and, as we have seen, dilapidated oil tankers,” the German foreign minister said. in the 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 remarks came after underwater cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged by a suspected vessel that the EU believes is part of Russia’s shadow fleet.
The move was a further step taken by Western countries to strike at the Kremlin’s oil industry in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
With tighter embargo measures in place to stop Russia from exporting oil, Moscow is believed to be using ships with unclear ownership to transport goods – specifically oil – around the world.
As reported by the Atlantic Council, an American think tank, Russia is “instrumentalizing the dark fleet, using it specifically as a primary transporter for oil exports.”
The shadow fleet, or dark fleet, is the name given to outdated ships that sail “without standard Western industry insurance, have unclear ownership, frequently change their names and flag registrations, and generally operate outside maritime regulations,” according to the Atlantic Council.
The latest incident in the Baltic Sea comes as Washington and London have joined efforts to directly sanction energy companies Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the move to weaken Russian oil companies would “empty Russia’s war chest”, adding that funds taken “out of Putin’s hands are helping to save Ukrainian lives”.
But Gazprom Neft strongly condemned the sanctions as “groundless” and “illegitimate,” as reported by Russian state news agencies.
Also on Friday, the US Treasury Department said it had sanctioned 183 vessels that are “part of the shadow fleet, as well as oil tankers owned by fleet operators based in Russia.”