EVENTIN

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Tanker remains off Sassnitz while inspections are going on

The "Eventin" was still detained on Jan 30, almost three weeks after its accident near the island of Rügen. The technical inspection has not yet been completed, according to the Federal Ministry of Transport. The temporary ban on further sailing by the ship safety department therefore still applied. A few days later, the main engine was running again, and the captain asked for permission to leave. However, this was also prohibited due to inspections by the General Customs Directorate. An investigation was being carried out to determine whether the cargo was Russian oil and whether the EU oil embargo was being violated. According to the Stralsund public prosecutor's office, the inspection carried out so far has not revealed any initial suspicion of a criminal offense. Representatives of the classification society DNV went on board for the technical inspection. The evaluation of this inspection has not been completed. The tanker is on a list of ships from the so-called Russian shadow fleet, which mostly refers to older tankers and other cargo ships with opaque ownership structures that Russia uses to circumvent sanctions as a result of its war against Ukraine.

Shadow fleet tanker remains in German custody

The 'Eventin' is remaining in German custody. The authorities will not let the ship sail until the safety on board complies with international regulations. At the same time, the German customs service has seized the ship's cargo of 99,000 tons of Russian oil, on the grounds that the cargo is a violation of the international embargo against the export of Russian oil. According to the German authorities, in this context, it does not matter why the tanker is in German waters. The captain had requested permission to continue sailing, as the ship's engines have now been repaired and power is back on board.

No evidence of crime yet, investigations are going on

According to the Stralsund public prosecutor's office, there is no evidence of a crime following customs inspections of the "Eventin". Customs informed the public prosecutor's office of this on the afternoon of Jan 17, and at the same time informed them that the evaluations were ongoing. The General Customs Directorate in Hamburg said that they would not comment on individual cases in detail, while the inspections were ongoing. The customs were investigating whether the approximately 100,000 tons of oil on board the "Eventin" are Russian oil and whether the EU oil embargo is being violated. The ship was also prohibited from continuing its voyage due to technical inspections. Whether there were any administrative offenses is not the responsibility of the public prosecutor's office. In addition, suspicion of a criminal offense could still arise. If there is initial suspicion, an investigation would then be initiated. So far, they have only rudimentary knowledge of the case and are awaiting further findings from customs.