German rescue teams have been able to secure towing lines to a loaded oil tanker that lost its ability to maneuver in the Baltic Sea near the German island of Rügen, authorities said Friday.
The stricken tanker Eventin, loaded with 99,000 tonnes of oil, will now be towed to an as yet undetermined port by the emergency tug Bremen Fighter, according to the German Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME ).
The 274-meter-long and 48-meter-wide vessel remains sealed and does not pose an immediate environmental threat or a danger to the crew on board, a spokesman for the agency told dpa.
The Eventin, built in 2006 and sailing under the Panamanian flag, was en route from the Russian port of Ust-Luga to Egypt's Port Said, according to vessel tracking platform Vesselfinder.
The vessel is part of Russia's so-called “shadow fleet” used to export oil despite heavy sanctions on the country, according to a list of Russian-linked vessels sent by the environmental advocacy group Greenpeace together.
Ships in the “shadow fleet” are often outdated and in poor operational condition.
The Eventin suffered engine failure and was drifting in the Baltic Sea before being secured, according to CCME, although it was not clear at first why the engine failed.
The CCME said conditions in the Baltic Sea near where the Eventin was sailing included moderate to fresh winds, but the agency did not immediately provide details on the weather and swell.
A vessel from the German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration, the Arkona, was also sent to join the tanker as well as the emergency Bremen Fighter.
A specially trained marine response team was also deployed to board the tanker and secure the towing connection.
A view of the unmanned oil tanker “Eventin” off the coast of the island of Ruegen. The oil tanker, which flies the flag of Panama, drifted for several hours in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Ruegen, unable to move – the German emergency services recovered the vessel in the afternoon. Stefan Sauer/dpa
