Suspected of being part of the Russian ghost fleet, a large oil tanker rescued in the Baltic

Sunday 12th January 2025 07:41 PM

In distress, the Eventin, with a cargo of nearly 100,000 tonnes of oil on board, was rescued on Friday January 10 off the German coast. Berlin accuses Moscow of endangering European maritime security by using outdated or poorly maintained ships to circumvent international sanctions against Russia. The famous “ghost fleet” to which the Eventin is suspected of belonging.

Departing on January 7 from the port of Luga, in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, in the Baltic Sea, the Eventin’s announced destination was Port Said, in Egypt, where it was due to arrive on January 24. But this tanker, commissioned in 2006, 274 meters long and 48 meters wide and with a deadweight of 152,000 tonnes, suffered damage near the German coast, north of the island of Rugen. Deprived of propulsion, it began to drift on Friday January 10 at midday. Given the danger it represented, close to the coast and in a very busy area, near the passages between the Danish archipelagos giving access to the North Sea, the German authorities launched an assistance operation to secure the Eventin and its cargo. Several ships and aircraft were mobilized, including the ocean-going tug VB Bremen Fighter and the pollution control vessel Arkona, as well as the port tugs VB Luca and VB Bremen from the port of Sassnitz. The aim of this operation is to keep the tanker in position and ensure nautical safety around it to avoid a collision with another vessel and, if the crew of 24 sailors cannot carry out the necessary repairs, to tow the tanker to a safe place.

Registered in Panama, the Eventin has officially belonged, since spring 2024, to a company that only owns this vessel and which is registered in the Marshall Islands, with a manager based in the United Arab Emirates. Berlin believes that this tanker is part of the ghost fleet which allows Russia to circumvent international sanctions by using hundreds of ships to continue its exports, particularly oil. “By using a fleet of rusty tankers in an infamous manner, Putin is circumventing sanctions,” denounced German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who accuses Russia of “endangering” European security, particularly at the maritime level.

While Europe must face actions of sabotage of underwater infrastructure, particularly in the Baltic, the sanctions imposed by the EU against Russian interests include a growing number of ships.