Germany is working to secure a drifting Russian oil tanker, believed to be part of Moscow’s “shadow fleet” used to fund its war in Ukraine, after it lost control in the Baltic Sea.

The German Foreign Office stressed on Monday that diplomats are pushing to take further action against Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of ageing tanker ships used to export oil and circumvent strict Western sanctions.

An oil tanker believed to be part of Russia’s efforts to evade international sanctions went adrift and had to be towed ashore by a German tugboat.

German authorities have said an oil tanker stuck in German waters belongs to Russia's "shadow fleet", which Berlin says is used to avoid sanctions. Germany's maritime authorities (CCME) said on Friday that the Panamanian-flagged ship, known as Eventin, had lost power and steering, meaning tugboats were deployed to secure the vessel.

A vessel believed to be part of Russia's shadow fleet is reported to have broken down in the Baltic Sea after suffering an engine malfunction. The accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 means that the Baltic Sea is surrounded by members of the military alliance,

Germany has recovered a heavily laden tanker stranded off its northern coast, by towing the stricken vessel. According to the German authorities, the vessel was part of the Russian “phantom fleet”. The 274-meter-long Eventin was sailing between Russia and Egypt with almost 100,