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Germany Starts Blocking Russian-Linked Shadow Fleet Tankers in Baltic and North Seas
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![Photo of Roman Kohanets]( "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
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German authorities have begun barring ships linked to Russia from entering the country’s territorial waters in the Baltic and North Seas, according to Deutsche Welle on January 15.
Deutsche Welle said that the federal police intervened on January 10 when a so-called “zombie tanker,” Tavian, entered German waters in the North Sea. The outlet said the tanker was suspected of heading toward the Baltic Sea and then to an oil terminal in St. Petersburg.
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Federal police dispatched a helicopter and demanded that the captain provide full information about the vessel, Deutsche Welle reported.
The inspection confirmed that Tavian has been on US sanctions lists since 2021 and was sailing under a false flag with a forged International Maritime Organization identification number, the outlet said.
German law enforcement then announced the ship would be barred from transiting German territorial waters in the Baltic Sea, after which Tavian turned back, with Deutsche Welle saying the captain likely feared the vessel could be confiscated.
Also independent OSINT analyst @auonsson said he has been tracking the “zombie tanker” known as ARCUSAT/TAVIAN/TIA and expects it to enter the Baltic Sea soon, describing it as making what would be its third lift of Russian oil since October and arguing that the vessel’s lack of a clear flag, registry, or insurance leaves it effectively “lawless,” raising questions about what obligations coastal states may have in response.
No flag
— auonsson (@auonsson) January 9, 2026
No insurance
No problem!
Zombie-tanker ARCUSAT/TAVIAN/TIA will enter Baltics soon.
This will be her 3rd fetch of Russian oil since October.
No flag, no state, no identity and no registry -> she is basically lawless.
Some would even argue states have obligations here pic.twitter.com/Cl98zbVitR
Deutsche Welle said German authorities had previously taken action only rarely against vessels described as part of Russia’s shadow fleet, but that the approach has shifted in recent months.
The outlet added that the increased use of false flags has been central to Germany’s policy change, as earlier practice had relied on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, under which vessels have a “right of innocent passage” through another country’s territorial waters.
The convention also specifies that this right applies only to ships sailing under their genuine national flag, a provision it said US authorities have cited in measures against Russia’s shadow fleet tankers.
Earlier, it was reported that German customs confiscated the tanker Eventin and its crude oil cargo after it was linked to Russia’s shadow fleet and had been anchored off the coast of Rügen.
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
