The oil tanker "Eventin", which is lying in the roadstead off the island of Rügen, may still not be sold or used for any other purpose by the German authorities. This was decided by the Federal Fiscal Court based in Munich in December, confirming an earlier decision in favour of the ship's owners.

Fixing

The Panamanian-flagged tanker was seized in January 2025 while drifting off the German Baltic coast. The ship had previously left Russia with around 100,000 tonnes of crude oil with an estimated value of around 40 million euros. According to the court, the "Eventin" was on its way to India.

Suspicion

German authorities assume that the tanker is part of a so-called Russian shadow fleet. Russia is using such ships in an attempt to circumvent the sanctions imposed by the European Union following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Industry experts have been warning for some time that these ships, which are often poorly maintained and often inadequately insured, pose considerable safety and environmental risks. Similar concerns are also shared by other European countries.

Ownership rights

The Federal Fiscal Court clarified that the unnamed owners of the tanker had already successfully challenged the seizure by the customs authorities in a previous instance. The highest German tax court has now confirmed these decisions in two separate proceedings. This means that the German authorities' options for action are severely restricted for the time being.

Uncertain prospects

The Federal Ministry of Finance, which is responsible for customs, stated that the judgement was provisional. A final decision on how to proceed with the tanker is still pending. The ministry would not comment on possible next steps. Russian authorities, for their part, stated that they had no information about the ship or its owner. No wonder.

Regardless of the specific individual case, EU representatives are sticking to the sanctions. The aim is to put Moscow under economic pressure and limit its ability to finance the war against Ukraine. The focus is particularly on ships that continue to transport oil, weapons or grain despite existing restrictions.

Political framework

At the heart of the case is the tension between state security and the enforcement of sanctions on the one hand and the constitutionally protected right to property on the other. The case once again emphasises the legal limits of state action in enforcing sanctions at sea and highlights the structural deficits in the European sanctions regime. The tug-of-war over the "Eventin" is thus developing into a precedent that ruthlessly exposes the need for more precise legal instruments to enforce maritime sanctions.

kdk, bairdmaritime