German customs confiscated a tanker of the Russian “shadow fleet” with oil worth €40 million
The German customs service confiscated the tanker of the Russian shadow fleet “Eventin” along with the cargo: about 100 thousand tons of crude oil worth 40 million euros now become the property of Germany. About this informs Spiegel.
The German government has decided to crack down on a vessel that is part of Russia’s secret shadow fleet, set up to circumvent sanctions and continue selling oil around the world.
Last Friday, the customs service detained the tanker “Eventin”, which sailed under the Panamanian flag and had been anchored off the coast of Rügen Island since January. According to the decision of the General Customs Administration, the old tanker together with the cargo with a total value of 40 million euros now becomes the property of Germany. After the appropriate order, the flag will be changed to “Eventin”.
Previously, there were active discussions between the ministries regarding the further fate of the ship, which was on its way from the Russian port of Ust-Luga across the Baltic Sea to Egypt. In January, a damaged tanker drifted near Rügen, losing the ability to maneuver. Due to the threat of an oil leak, the tanker was towed to the area near Zasnitz, where it was monitored around the clock by the coast guard and the federal police.
Since the end of February, the ship was officially included in the list of the Russian shadow fleet compiled by the EU. Currently, the authorities are studying options for safe unloading of oil and further disposal of the tanker itself. The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state government is pushing for the ship to be removed from the region as soon as possible because of threats to the environment and tourism.
We will remind that EU countries are conducting closed negotiations regarding a possible large-scale operation to detain Russian tankers in the Baltic Sea. These discussions intensified after the Finnish authorities arrested the vessel Eagle S, suspected of transporting sanctioned Russian oil.
