With the seizure of the crude oil tanker "Eventin" (152,000 tdw), which is attributed to the Russian shadow fleet, Germany is skipping several stages of escalation, according to a sanctions expert. It is unclear what will happen to the ship and its cargo. Always in the vicinity: a ship of the Federal Police Sea.
The Baltic Sea. Image: NordNordWest, CC BY-SA 3.0
The "Eventin" has been anchored off Sassnitz since mid-January. The tanker was towed there after a total blackout off the island of Rügen and detained by the German authorities. At the end of March, the ship and cargo were confiscated by German customs and the crew replaced, as announced by the Federal Ministry of Finance. This gave Germany control of the ship and cargo, but also the security obligation as the new owner.
Sanctions expert Sascha Lohmann from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) described the seizure to NDR as a "significant escalation". It is surprising that the German government is taking the risk of doing this on the basis of an unclear legal situation, as the previous owners of the tanker could take legal action. There are also growing concerns about a possible Russian reaction.
As NDR has learnt from security circles, the seizure of the ship is probably also due to the decisions made at the NATO Baltic Sea Summit in Helsinki in January. At the summit, the countries agreed to take more effective action to protect critical infrastructure (KRITIS) and to counter Russia's shadow fleet and hybrid threats in the Baltic Sea region. Among other things, the "Baltic Sentry" mission was agreed, in which the German Navy is also participating.
The Foreign Office, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice had coordinated closely before the seizure. A risk assessment was carried out with regard to a possible Russian reaction and a decision was made based on this. Worst-case scenarios" were also taken into account, apparently including fears that the tanker "Eventin" could be the target of hybrid attacks and thus trigger an environmental disaster.
kdk, NDR
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