In the wake of the oil tanker that ran aground near Rügen, German Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) has leveled accusations against Russia. “By recklessly deploying a fleet of rusty tankers, Putin not only circumvents sanctions, but also knowingly puts the tourism on the Baltic Sea to a standstill – whether in the Baltic states, Poland, or at home” Baerbock said on Friday. “This is part of Russia’s plan to take such consequences into account.”
She has repeatedly warned, together with her Eastern European colleagues, of this very scenario, the foreign minister said. “Russia endangers our European security not only with its illegal war of aggression on Ukraine, but also with cut cables, shifted beacons, disinformation campaigns, GPS jammers, and, of course, with old oil tankers.”
Anyone who ignores this threat behaves “as recklessly as those who in the past presented Nord Stream 2 as a purely economic project” the Green politician said. “That’s why we have consistently pushed forward the listing of Russia’s shadow fleet with our partners over the past few months.” So far, over 70 ships have been sanctioned by the EU, according to Baerbock. Experts estimate the size of the shadow fleet to be around 200 to 1,200 ships.
On Friday, an oil tanker was drifting north of Rügen at a slow speed and was unable to maneuver. A tugboat, the “Bremen Fighter” was able to establish a tow connection with the stricken vessel. The tanker is now being held in position by the tow connection, the Havariekommando in Cuxhaven reported on Friday afternoon. The tanker, flying the Panamanian flag, had loaded approximately 99,000 tons of oil.
Greenpeace considers the oil tanker to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet. The ship is older than 15 years, has exported oil from Russia multiple times since the war began, and lacks adequate liability insurance to cover possible damage from accidents and oil disasters, according to Greenpeace.