Germany Seizes Suspected Russian Shadow Fleet Oil Tanker in International Operation

Germany seized a tanker suspected to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” as reported by a German news magazine. The old ship was discovered drifting along the nation’s northern shoreline in January.

A seizure order has been handed down for the oil tanker Eventin along with approximately 100,000 metric tons of oil onboard, according to reports from the German news magazine Der Spiegel on Friday.

Upon confirmation, this order would imply that the ship along with its approximately €40 million ($43.3 million) worth of cargo will be transferred to Germany as their possession.

The ship's presence, floating in the Baltic Sea near the island of Rügen, had sparked environmental concerns regarding the risk posed by a possible oil leak.

The ship had been journeying from Russia to Egypt when it was detained for examination by German officials in January .

Editor: Sean Sinico

Author: Richard Connor (with AFP, dpa, Reuters)