German authorities say an oil tanker stuck in German waters belongs to Russia’s “shadow fleet”, which Berlin says is used to evade sanctions.

The German maritime authority (CCME) said on Friday that the Panamanian-flagged vessel, the Eventin, lost power and steering, meaning tugboats needed to be deployed to protect the ship.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock blamed Moscow, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of “callously deploying a fleet of rusty tankers” that “circumvented” sanctions and threatened European security.

Russia has previously refused to respond to accusations that it uses a shadow fleet and has yet to comment on the incident.

The United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union have impose sanctions The Russian oil industry after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In its first report on the tanker adrift in German waters, CCME said the tanker was 274m (898ft) long, 48m (157ft) wide and was carrying about 99,000 tonnes of oil.

German maritime authorities said the tanker was drifting at low speed in the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea north of the German island of Rügen.

A team of four experts were helicoptered onto the ship on Friday evening to establish a tow connection and secure it. Three tugs took control of the stricken vessel, which was “unmaneuverable.”

Maritime authorities said late Friday that no oil leak had been detected.

In the latest update on Saturday night, German maritime authorities said a flotilla of tugboats surrounding the tanker was heading for the town of Sassnitz on the island of Rügen and would arrive early Sunday.

Earlier, authorities said the tugboat fleet rescuing Ivandine was still north of the island of Rügen and was moving “slowly” eastward at about 2.5 kilometers per hour (1.5 mph).

CCME said they had taken safety measures in view of rough seas, with the area where the ship was experiencing 2.5m high (8ft) waves and increasing wind gusts.

Although the ship flew a Panamanian flag, German authorities blamed Russia for the incident.

“Russia is endangering our European security not only through its illegal and aggressive war in Ukraine, but also through cutting cables, displacing border buoys, disinformation campaigns, GPS jammers and, as we have seen, dilapidated oil tankers,” the German foreign minister said. in a statement.

In December, the EU said it was developing measures including sanctions against “Russia’s shadow fleet that threatens security and the environment, while also funding Russia’s war budget.”

The EU’s comments came after undersea cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged by a suspicious vessel that the EU believes is part of Russia’s shadow fleet.

The move is another step by Western countries to crack down on the Kremlin’s oil industry in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

As a result of tougher embargo measures to prevent Russian oil exports, Moscow is believed to be using ships of unclear ownership to transport cargo (i.e. oil) around the world.

According to the Atlantic Council, a US think tank, Russia is “exploiting the Dark Fleet, specifically as a primary means of transport for oil exports.”

The Atlantic Council said the shadow fleet, or dark fleet, is a term given to aging ships that “do not have industry-standard Western insurance, have opaque ownership, frequently change names and flag registrations, and often operate outside maritime regulations.” .

The latest incident in the Baltics comes as Washington and London join forces to directly sanction energy companies Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas.

British Foreign Secretary David Lamy said the move to cripple Rosneft would “drain Russia’s war chest”, adding that “funds taken away from Putin would help save Ukrainian lives”.

But Gazprom slammed the sanctions as “baseless” and “illegal,” Russia’s state news agency reported.

Also on Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department said it had imposed sanctions on 183 vessels that were part of the “shadow fleet and tankers owned by Russian fleet operators.”