Germany has turned away a Russian-linked oil tanker from its Baltic Sea waters, marking the first known European action against Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet.
The Aframax-class tanker, identified as Arcusat, abruptly changed course this week as it approached German waters, redirecting north toward Russia’s Arctic coast. The vessel had been sailing through the strait between Denmark and Sweden and reportedly signaled a destination in the Gulf of Finland before reversing direction, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
German federal police cited irregularities in the tanker’s documentation and identity, prompting the vessel to turn away. Investigations show that Arcusat is listed as “never existed” in open-source ship databases, with no matching record in the International Maritime Organization registry. Shipping records suggest it was delivered last year from a Chinese shipyard, though its flag remains unclear, with some sources listing Tanzania and others Cameroon.
The move signals a potential shift in European enforcement against Russia’s shadow fleet — a network of obscure and aging vessels used to evade Western sanctions on oil exports. Recently, the U.S. has seized several tankers linked to Russian and Venezuelan shipments, and European authorities are increasingly monitoring vessels operating in this network.