Germany confiscates tanker with Russian oil worth €40 million - Spiegel
Photo: Germany confiscated Putin's old tanker (Getty Images)
The German government has decided to take tough action against a tanker belonging to the shadowy fleet that Russia uses to sell oil around the world to circumvent sanctions, Spiegel reports.
Customs arrested the Panamanian-flagged tanker Eventin, which had been anchored off the coast of Rügen since mid-January. As a result of the so-called confiscation order issued by the General Customs Administration, the old tanker and about 100,000 tons of crude oil worth about EUR 40 million will now become German property.
Security sources said that Eventin will be renamed after the order is issued.
Earlier, there were intense discussions between various ministries about what to do with the tanker, which was heading from the Russian port of Ust-Luga across the Baltic Sea to Egypt.
In mid-January, the Eventin drifted north of Rügen, unable to maneuver. Due to the imminent danger of an oil spill, the tanker was towed away and was under the supervision of the coast guard and federal police around the clock. Since late February, the vessel has been on the EU list as part of Russia's shadow fleet.
Moscow continues to sell billions of dollars worth of oil around the world using an armada of tankers, most of which are old vessels that do not fly the Russian flag. After the Eventin was included in the list, the German government decided to confiscate the vessel. According to the German Chancellor's office and the Foreign Ministry, this unusually tough approach is intended to send a signal to Russia that Germany will not sit idly by and watch Russian oil transit through the Baltic Sea.
Authorities are now studying how and where to safely pump crude oil from the Eventin's tanks and what to do with the ship. The government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern would like to get rid of the tanker as soon as possible, as it is concerned about its negative impact on the environment and tourism.
According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, the Russian shadow fleet currently includes up to 1,000 units of mostly obsolete vessels (with a total deadweight of more than 100 million tons) that export oil and oil products.
