Berlin has confiscated a tanker, believed to be part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” according to a German news magazine report. The aging vessel was found floating off the country’s northern coast in January.
A confiscation order has been issued for the oil tanker Eventin and some 100,000 metric tons of oil aboard it, the German news magazine Spiegel reported on Friday.
If confirmed, the order means that the vessel and its cargo, worth some €40 million ($43.3 million), would become German property.
The ship’s presence, floating in the Baltic Sea near the island of Rügen, had sparked environmental concerns about the danger of a potential oil spill.
The vessel had been traveling from Russia to Egypt when it was held for investigation by German authorities in January.
The news magazine reported that authorities were determining how best to safely pump crude oil from the tanker, and deciding what to do with the vessel. Officials confirmed only that the ship was prohibited from continuing its journey.
“Customs measures are currently underway and, given the current security situation, we cannot comment very extensively on the matter,” a finance ministry spokesman said.
A foreign ministry spokesman said Russia was using such ships “to bypass Western sanctions and thus finance its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Editor: Sean Sinico
DW News
