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.