Germany blocks Russian “shadow fleet” tanker from entering its territorial waters in unprecedented move

Germany has denied the Cameroonian-flagged tanker Tavian entry into its territorial waters, according to reports by Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR. This is the first known instance of a vessel linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet” being barred from the area. As The Insider has learned, the tanker was refused entry while it was still in Danish waters and subsequently changed course. What exactly prompted Germany’s tougher maritime policy toward the “shadow fleet” remains unclear.

The tanker in question is a 27-year-old vessel that German media describe as a “zombie tanker”: the ship has repeatedly changed its name and identification details, and German border guards suspected that it was sailing under a false flag and with a forged registration number. The vessel is known to be using a fake IMO number, 1095337. According to German experts, Tavian is in fact the tanker Tia, previously registered under IMO number 9147447. If so, it is one of the oldest large oil tankers still in operation. The tanker Tia is included on the U.S. sanctions list, as well as that of the organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).

The Maritime Security Service stressed that this is the first recorded case of a “zombie tanker” appearing off the coast of Germany. After checking the documents, Germany’s federal police denied Tavian entry into German waters on its approach to the Baltic Sea, and according to Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the vessel turned north. The tanker is now heading toward the Norwegian Sea. From there, it is not far to Murmansk — another Russian oil port.