German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said a heavily loaded oil tanker that Germany's maritime emergencies agency had to secure on January 10 in the Baltic Sea is part of the "shadow fleet" that Moscow uses to avoid sanctions on its oil exports.

An oil tanker believed to be part of Russia’s efforts to evade international sanctions went adrift and had to be towed ashore by a German tugboat.

Germany charged that a heavily loaded tanker adrift off its northern coast Friday was part of the “shadow fleet” Moscow uses to avoid sanctions on its oil exports. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticized Russia’s use of “dilapidated oil tankers” and labeled it a threat to European security.

The Group of Seven democracies have sought to crimp Russia’s oil export earnings that help fund the war against Ukraine

Germany has stopped a Panamanian-flagged tanker carrying about 99,000 tonnes of Russian oil from drifting uncontrollably off the Baltic Sea coast. Source: Reuters Details: Reuters reports that the 274-metre-long tanker Eventin had been drifting slowly since Friday morning and was unable to manoeuvre.

The tanker Eventin, part of the Russian "shadow fleet," is drifting north of Rügen due to an engine failure. It is one of the vessels Russians use to bypass sanctions imposed for the invasion of Ukraine and is carrying 99,