The Panama-flagged tanker Eventin has lost control and is drifting in the Baltic Sea near the German island of Rügen, according to a report by the publication Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). German outlet t-online notes that the vessel was built in 2006 and is included on Greenpeace’s list of ships belonging to Russia's “shadow fleet.”
Since the Western imposition of a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian crude, Moscow has used its so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers to transport oil and evade sanctions. The vessels that make up this fleet are often poorly maintained and frequently lack proper insurance.
Due to the threat of a storm, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (Havariekommando) has dispatched two tugboats and the multipurpose vessel Arkona to assist the tanker. A reconnaissance aircraft has also been deployed to monitor the situation. Authorities are considering two potential destinations for towing: the German port of Rostock, or a port in Denmark. The final decision remains unclear, according to the NDR report.
Data from the tracking platform MarineTraffic indicates that the Eventin departed from Russia’s Ust-Luga port on Jan. 6, bound for Port Said, Egypt, with approximately 99,000 tons of oil on board. The cause of the tanker's loss of control remains unknown. Emergency services have reported no damage to the vessel, no danger to the crew, and no need for evacuation.
In December, Finland detained another tanker from Russia’s “shadow fleet” — the Eagle S — in the Gulf of Finland. That vessel was suspected of cutting several undersea power and communications cables in the Baltic Sea linking Finland and Estonia. The British maritime journal Lloyd's List, citing a source with direct knowledge of the vessel, later reported that the tanker was outfitted with espionage equipment that was used to monitor NATO naval and air force operations.
Prior to the release of its list of risky Russian “shadow fleet” ships, Greenpeace ran a study on the potential consequences of a tanker accident and oil spill near the German coast. It showed how such an incident could affect areas near the cities of Rostock, Lübeck and Kiel, noting that the “risk of an oil disaster” stemming from the ships “has increased significantly in recent years.”