German coast Since January, the Russian oil tanker Eventin has been lying unable to maneuver off the German coast - now the German government has officially seized the ship. According to Bild, the ship is said to have around 100,000 tons of crude oil on board, with an estimated value of about 40 million euros.

According to Spiegel information, the General Customs Directorate has issued a confiscation notice. This decision was apparently preceded by intensive coordination between several ministries.

The Eventin sails under the Panamanian flag, is almost 20 years old and left the Russian Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga near the Estonian border on January 6 with destination Port Said in Egypt. But off the island of Rügen, the ship failed completely - it was unable to maneuver and remained stranded.

Since then, according to reports, precarious conditions have prevailed on board: The systems for heating, kitchen and sanitary facilities failed. There were 24 crew members on board, and the Federal Police secured the ship around the clock.

Security circles suspect that the Eventin is part of the so-called Russian shadow fleet - a group of over 200 decommissioned Western tankers that Russia uses to circumvent sanctions on

oil exports.

With the confiscation notice, both the ship and the oil cargo become the property of Germany. According to Spiegel, the aim of the measure is to send a clear signal to the Russian regime under Vladimir Putin.



















Author: Tom Weyerman
Source: Reuters