The German Customs Confiscated Russian Oil Tanker Eventin

The German customs authorities confiscated the oil tanker Eventin, which was flying the flag of Panama, on Friday last week. The tanker had lost control off the coast of Germany on January 10, according to a report by the German publication Spiegel, citing its own sources.

The German Maritime Emergency Response Command reported on January 10 that the tanker Eventin, which was carrying 99 000 tons of oil, had lost control and was drifting near the island of Rügen. The ship was later towed to the port of Sassnitz on the German island of Rügen.

According to the order of confiscation by the main customs authority, both the old tanker and the approximately 100 000 tons of crude oil, worth around 40 million euros, are now being transferred to German ownership, the publication writes.

“It’s clear that modern piracy has reached a state level.”

Prior to the confiscation, intense negotiations were held between various ministries on what to do with the tanker, which was en route from the Russian port of Ust-Luga to Egypt via the Baltic Sea. In late January, the ship was added to the EU’s list of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet“. After the Eventin was added to the list, the German government decided to confiscate the ship. According to Spiegel, the German government hopes to “show Russia that Germany will not remain indifferent to the transit of Russian oil through the Baltic Sea“.

Currently, German authorities are planning how and where to safely pump out the crude oil from the tanker and what to do with the ship next. The Ministry of Finance, which is responsible for customs, declined to comment on the matter due to “ongoing customs measures and the current security situation“.