A stricken tanker loaded with suspected Russian oil that lost the ability to manoeuvre off the German coast last week has been ordered to remain in German waters while the incident is investigated, authorities said on Wednesday.
The Panama-flagged Eventin is believed to be part of the so-called “shadow fleet” used by Russia to export oil despite strict Western sanctions.
The vessel was en route from Russia to Egypt with almost 100,000 tons of oil on board when it suffered an engine failure in the Baltic Sea north of the island of Rügen on Friday, leading German authorities to tug the ship to the Sassnitz harbour on the island on Sunday.
After reactivating the main engine, the ship’s captain reportedly asked for authorization to resume its course, but the Hamburg customs office and the German Transport Ministry have denied permission.
Customs officials are investigating whether the ship is circumventing an EU embargo on Russian oil. They were already on board the tanker on Tuesday.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU issued a ban on the purchase, import or transfer of crude oil to the EU by sea.
Authorities are also investigating the ship’s seaworthiness. The 274-metre-long Eventin is almost 20 years old.
“Pending the evaluation of the documents to be submitted by the Eventin, the Ship Safety Division has issued a temporary ban on further navigation,” said the Transport Ministry.
