Oil tanker Eventin off Rügen: Urgent towing operation started!

An unmaneuverable oil tanker named “Eventin” is currently causing a stir in the Baltic Sea. The tanker, which has almost 100,000 tons of oil on board, wrecked around 20 kilometers off Rügen and has been drifting northwards without a driver since Thursday evening. A towing group consisting of three tugs will now bring the tanker into the anchorage of the city port of Sassnitz, where it is expected to arrive early on Sunday morning ndr.de reported.

The weather conditions pose a significant challenge to the towing operation, with wave heights of between three and four meters and a force nine storm. According to reports, the tanker will initially be held in position four kilometers from the coast until further decisions are made. It should be noted that the “Eventin” sails under the Panamanian flag and is owned by a shipping company based in the United Arab Emirates. Environment Minister Till Backhaus and Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed concern about the risks posed by the so-called Russian shadow fleet.

Details about the accident

The total failure of the tanker's systems and engine occurred on Friday night and left the ship adrift in the Baltic Sea. German emergency ships were able to secure the “Eventin” with an emergency tug on Friday afternoon, and two more tugs arrived later faz.net reported.

The 24-person crew is not in danger and evacuation is not necessary. The tanker was previously on a list of 192 ailing ships used by Russia to evade sanctions. These ships, often old and uninsured, sail under foreign flags to escape the European oil embargo imposed because of the attack on Ukraine. In December, the EU had already put around 50 ships from the shadow fleet on the sanctions list.