Germany ‘seizes oil tanker from Russian shadow fleet’

https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/germany-seizes-oil-tanker-from-russian-shadow-fleet-fg55tr5rr?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Reddit#Echobox=1742568773

Posted by TimesandSundayTimes

5 comments

  1. Germany is said to have seized a tanker full of Russian oil on its Baltic coast, in what is thought to be the first confiscation of a vessel from Moscow’s “shadow fleet”.

    The Panamanian-flagged Eventin, bound for Egypt from the Russian port of Ust-Luga near St Petersburg, went adrift off the German island of Rügen in January after the crew lost both power and steering.

    Fearing that the 90,000-tonne cargo of oil could cause an environmental disaster if the ship were to run aground, the German authorities had the Eventin towed to the nearby port of Sassnitz

  2. This is the way. Sell the oil and put money into fund to pay for making good the effects of Russian sabotage in Germany / Europe.

  4. I think the term “seizes” should be scrutinised more. The ship was seized back in January because it was believed to be a hazard due to the condition of the ship, and the the potential to create a massive pollution event if an accident occurred. Right now the German authorities state the ship is not seaworthy and will not let it leave dock, this leaves the owners a choice of draining the oil in the ship and towing it elsewhere for repair, or attempting to sell the ship to the German government. The German government is looking at draining the oil, which if it finds was part of German/EU sanctions against Russia, can in theory seize and sell, but its a grey area.

    Overall this is a Panamanian ship, carrying oil from Russia to Egypt, its not so simple as to seize it as it would be a challenge to international shipping rules, and create a lot of issues with undesirable precedents, think of China in the SCS, Iran in the Gulf, or even America seizing vessels. Unlike with North Korea or Iran where UN sanctions were the justification for seizures and searches, there is no UN sanctions on Russia, which means any action has to be taken unilaterally.

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