The Federal Fiscal Court in Germany has stopped authorities from selling or using an oil tanker and its cargo that were seized earlier this year off the Baltic Sea coast, ruling in favour of the vessel’s owners in two separate cases.

The court said it upheld an earlier lower-court decision that had supported the owners, who were not identified publicly, in their challenge against the customs department’s confiscation process.

Customs officials had appealed the ruling, but the federal judges maintained the previous decision, meaning the vessel must remain untouched for now.

The Panama-flagged tanker Eventin was found drifting off Germany’s Baltic coast in January after leaving Russia with around 100,000 metric tonnes of oil, estimated to be worth about €40 million (US$47 million). According to the court, the ship had been headed for India when it was intercepted.

German authorities suspect the tanker is part of a shadow fleet allegedly used by Russia to work around European Union sanctions imposed after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Industry specialists have warned that such vessels, often uninsured and operating outside normal safety and environmental standards, can pose navigation and pollution risks.

Concerns about these ships have also surfaced elsewhere in Europe. In October, French military personnel boarded a tanker near Saint-Nazaire that authorities believed was also linked to shadow-fleet activity.

Germany’s finance ministry, which oversees customs operations, described the court’s move as a preliminary step. Officials stated that a final decision on what can be done with the Eventin and its cargo is still pending.

The ministry confirmed that the tanker remains moored off the island of Rügen but declined to comment on what might follow. Russian authorities, when questioned about the vessel, said they had no information regarding the ship or its ownership.

The European Union’s sanctions aims to limit Russia’s ability to fund its war in Ukraine by targeting vessels believed to be involved in transporting oil, arms and grain in defiance of restrictions.

Reference: Reuters