Germany tows disabled Eventin oil tanker adrift in Baltic Sea

Germany is working to secure a Russian oil tanker, the Eventin, which lost control in the Baltic Sea and is believed to be part of Moscow’s "shadow fleet" used to fund the war in Ukraine.

The 274-meter-long tanker, carrying nearly 100,000 tons of oil reportedly sourced from Russia, lost power near the German island of Rügen on January 10, according to Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME), Caliber.Az reports, citing Western media.

Despite efforts, three tugboats were still struggling to tow the Panamanian-flagged tanker to safety amid challenging stormy conditions.

The Eventin had departed from Russia and was headed to Egypt, according to MarineTraffic, a ship monitoring group. The CCME indicated that the tanker was being towed to Sassnitz, a port on Rügen, but strong winds and waves of up to 2.5 meters were significantly hindering the operation.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the incident as another example of the risks posed by Russia to European security. She criticized the use of ageing and dilapidated tankers, which, she noted, not only circumvent Western sanctions but also endanger the Baltic region's tourism industry. The Eventin is part of Russia's growing reliance on a “shadow fleet” of old tankers, many of which date back to Soviet times. These ships continue to transport oil across the globe despite international sanctions.

The West has expressed growing concern about the environmental risks posed by these vessels. In December, two Russian tankers were wrecked off the coast of Crimea, spilling thousands of tons of fuel into the Black Sea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decried the use of these aging vessels, calling them a direct environmental and security threat. The two wrecked tankers were nearly 50 years old and carried far less fuel than the Eventin, which is carrying nearly 10 times the amount.

The Eventin incident adds to a series of alarming events involving Russia's shadow fleet. In December, Finnish authorities seized a tanker suspected of damaging an undersea power cable between Finland and Estonia, believed to have been caused by the ship’s anchor.

Fortunately, no oil leaks have been detected from the Eventin thus far. However, the risks associated with the ageing fleet are evident. Zelenskyy labelled the Eventin an "oil bomb" that thankfully did not detonate, adding that Russia continues to finance its war efforts with the profits from such tankers, jeopardizing both environmental and human safety.

In response to Russia’s continued use of these vessels, the outgoing Biden administration recently imposed new sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector and its shadow fleet. These sanctions target nearly 200 oil-carrying vessels, which are thought to be part of the shadow fleet. A senior U.S. official noted that the sanctions could cost Russia billions of dollars per month.

Russia has long circumvented sanctions by using uninsured, ageing tankers flagged in countries that ignore Western restrictions. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), approximately 420 vessels were used to export Russian oil in the previous month, with 234 of those classified as “shadow tankers.” Around 30% of these vessels are at least 20 years old. This growing dependence on the shadow fleet highlights the Kremlin’s efforts to maintain oil exports while avoiding international sanctions, raising both environmental and geopolitical concerns.