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.

The tanker Eventin, which suffered an accident in the Baltic Sea near the German island of Rügen, is being towed east by three tugboats for safety reasons. Source: spokesperson for Germany's Central Command for Maritime Emergencies told DW,

"The towing convoy is moving eastwards to a position northeast of Cape Arkona (Rügen)," Germany's Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME) said, referring to the German island in the southwestern part of the Baltic Sea.

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.

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

Russia’s oil revenue dropped to $14.6 billion in November 2024, with prices for Urals FOB Primorsk falling by $1.4 to $61.1 per barrel, and Urals FOB Novorossiysk dropping by $1.1 to $61.9 per barrel,

Officials have stated that the tanker remains watertight.