Germany Impounds Russian Oil Tanker in Move That Could Spike Russia’s War With The West

Germany has impounded a Russian tanker found off its northern coast in January believed to be part of a shadow fleet used by Russia to circumvent oil sanctions in light of the lingering Russia-Ukraine war.

According to a report by Spiegel news magazine on Friday, citing security sources, the Panama-flagged ship, called Eventin, was secured by German maritime authorities after being found off the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, prompting Berlin to sharply rebuke Moscow.

The magazine reported that a confiscation order had been issued for the Russian Oil tanker, meaning the vessel and its cargo of around 100,000 metric tons of oil, worth some 40 million euros ($43.33 million), and had been travelling from Russia to Egypt, have now become Germany’s property.

Russian authorities however claim to have no information about the ship and no knowledge about its owner or reasons for its seizure,

European Pressure on Russia

The seizure is a result of Europe’s growing frustration that Russia continues to transport its oil and dodge Western sanctions by relying on an ever-growing “shadow fleet” — aging vessels with obscure ownership and unknown insurance. By doing so, Russia has been able to preserve a key lifeline for its war effort in Ukraine, given that oil and gas generate around half of the Kremlin’s revenues.

This is part of the European Union’s 16th package of sanctions targeting Russia for its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine aimed to put extra pressure on Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’, referring to vessels used by Russia to move oil, arms and grains around in violation of sanctions.

German authorities are now reportedly figuring out how to safely pump out the ship’s crude oil, as well as what to do with the vessel itself.