After the coastguard observed the ship, three tugboats were dispatched to secure the vessel. Apart from this, a team of towing specialists dropped onto the vessel by helicopter
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A Russian tanker heavily loaded with oil was adrift in the seas off the northern coast of Germany. According to German news outlet DW, Berlin confirmed on Friday that the vessel was part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”. Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME) noted that the ship lost power and steering in the evening.
After the coastguard observed the ship, three tugboats were dispatched to secure the vessel. Apart from this, a team of towing specialists dropped onto the vessel by helicopter, DW reported. “The emergency towing specialists are to ensure that the load of the 274-meter-long tanker is safely and evenly distributed among the tugboats,” a CCME spokesperson told DPA news agency.
In the midst of all this, German authorities stated that heavy winds and waves of up to 2.5 meters have been reported in the area. They claimed that weather conditions are expected to remain rough over the next 24 hours.
No oil leak
The German command made it clear that there were no oil leaks reported from the vessel following the incident. It is pertinent to note that Russia has often used and owned non-insured ships to sell its oil while circumventing Western sanctions imposed in response to its operation in Ukraine in 2022.
The CCME said that the Panamanian-flagged Eventin was carrying 99,000 tons of oil when it was reported adrift on Friday evening. The vessel was on its way from Russia’s Ust-Luga port to Egypt’s Port Said port, DW reported.
The German officials noted that alarms were raised after the vessel was seen “drifting at low speed in the coastal waters” when it was found overnight. The CCME initially said that the emergency tug boat Bremen Fighter would tow the Eventin to a port. However, a spokesman for the command later told DPA that the tanker would not be moved for the time being.
The spokesperson noted that further steps are being discussed with the authorities and shipping company to deal with the situation. Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called out Russia’s dependence on the rundown tankers in its “shadow fleet.” She insisted that these vessels posed a threat to the European security.
“By ruthlessly deploying a fleet of rusty tankers, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is not only circumventing the sanctions but is also willingly accepting that tourism on the Baltic Sea will come to a standstill in the event of an accident,” Baerbock said, describing the tankers as “dilapidated.”
It is pertinent to note that so far, the European Union has sanctioned over 70 Russian ships, while the US and the UK announced on Friday fresh sanctions on some 180 ships. All the vessels were believed to be part of the infamous shadow fleet.
With inputs from agencies.