German Tugs Towing Oil Tanker
Photo: Stefan Sauer/DPA/AP/TT

German Tugs Towing Oil Tanker out of Shadow Fleet

The oil tanker that on Friday was reported to be adrift in the Baltic Sea north of the German island of Rügen is now being towed eastwards by three boats, reports the German public service company NDR. The cargo consists of around 99,000 tons of oil.

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The tanker is, according to German media, on the environmental organization Greenpeace's list of vessels in the Russian shadow fleet intended to circumvent the world's sanctions.

Even the German Foreign Ministry links Eventin to the shadow fleet.

The 274-meter-long tanker Eventin encountered problems with maneuverability. The Panama-flagged vessel had loaded oil in the Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga before setting out to sea on January 6 with Egypt as its destination.

The rescue operation has been complicated by storms and high waves. According to German authorities, there is currently no acute danger to the environment and no oil spills have been detected.

According to NDR, the crew consists of 24 people and no evacuation is planned.

Backhaus (SDP), responsible for environmental issues in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, says that the current accident has once again shown how vulnerable the Baltic Sea is.

It seems as if we will get away with a scare this time as well, he says.

In this story
AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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