Stranded Shadow Tanker to be Towed to Secure Location
Bulgarian officials expect the standard shadow tanker Kairos will be towed on Sunday, December 14, from its position off the coast to a more secure location, while a long-term determination of the vessel’s fate remains unclear. The government had said it expected to sign a contract on Friday for the removal of the tanker, but the situation may be complicated by the collapse of the government and the resignation of the Prime Minister.
The Ministry of Transport reported that the government had agreed to provide approximately US$720,000 necessary to implement the towing operation. It said a contractor had been selected and that equipment and team mobilization were already underway.
The Maritime Administration Agency and the Border Police boarded the damaged tanker on Wednesday, December 10, to inspect its condition. They reported that the stern of the vessel is heavily damaged from the drone strike, explosion, and fire. Ukraine took credit for attacking the vessel on November 28 while it was underway north of Turkey. It drifted near the Bulgarian shoreline on December 5 after being released from a tow.
The Bulgarian authorities reported that water entered the engine room due to a hole caused by the drone strike. The engines, mechanical systems, and an emergency diesel generator are not working. Further, the port side anchor jammed when the crew attempted to release it last week to stop the movement toward the Bulgarian shore. The vessel is, however, holding 150 to 200 meters off the coast on its starboard anchor.
They confirmed the tanks are empty and that there has been no pollution of the Black Sea so far. It is unclear how much bunker fuel and other oils are onboard. Three crewmembers have remained aboard after the Bulgarian Navy airlifted seven to shore. Media reports indicate the crew onboard was changed after the initial evacuations.
Bulgarian officials confirmed the ship was heavily damaged by the drone strike (Bulgarian Ministry of Transport)
The Ministry reports a specialized generator is being brought in to help with the salvage operation. The team plans to use the generator to restart the vessel’s hydraulic system to raise the starboard anchor. Three tugs will aid in the salvage and move the vessel to the anchorage off Burgas.
Because the vessel is under sanctions from the EU, as well as the UK and the U.S., Bulgarian officials note they cannot assist with the repairs of the ship. They can only assist the owners to secure and then remove the vessel.
Bulgaria has also requested information about the original tow and how the vessel ended up drifting towards shore last week. They want to know the plans of the original tow, its destination, and why the vessel was released in Bulgarian waters.
The tanker was built in 2002 and had been cited for its runs between Russia and India. It is 274 meters (899 feet) in length and approximately 150,000 dwt, putting it in the Suezmax class. It is reported to be owned and managed from China and claimed registry in Gambia, which is believed to be a false flag. The Bulgarian officials initially reported the vessel was registered in Benin, while Equasis lists the flag as unknown.
Turkey Pledges Investigation into Movements of Damaged Shadow Tanker
Turkish and Bulgarian officials have met to discuss the case of the fire-damaged tanker Kairos, which drifted off the Bulgarian coast at the end of last week and required a rescue operation. Bulgaria wants to know what the intentions were for the tanker that had been damaged during an attack by Ukraine, while reports from Turkey say the Turkish authorities had also not been informed about the movements of the tanker.
Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, Grozdan Karadjov, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Georg Georgiev, met with the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Bulgaria, Mehmet Uyanak, to discuss the situation and requested information about the tow of the tanker and its destination. Minister Karadjov presented detailed information on the movement of the tugboat Timur Bey from Turkish to Bulgarian territorial waters. The Bulgarian government contends the data clearly indicate a purposeful movement towards the Bulgarian coast, entry into Bulgarian territorial waters, and abandonment of the tanker six miles from the coastline.
The Turkish ambassador reported that the tow of the tanker had been arranged with a private Turkish company without the knowledge of the Turkish authorities. Ambassador Uyank reported that Turkish authorities have already started an investigation into the case and are committed to providing the Bulgarian authorities with full information.
Bulgaria says that after the tug released the tanker, it was told the tug was returning to Turkey. They were told the tug had “completed the task with the ship Kairos and is returning to the port of Ineada.” They are asking who ordered the tow and what the assigned task was.
Turkish law did not require notification of the operation, and according to the reports, Turkey was unaware of the operation before it commenced. On November 30, Turkey’s Ministry of Transport had said that the fire was extinguished aboard the vessel and that they were in discussions with the shipping company regarding towing the vessel. Turkey had removed all 25 crewmembers from the ship after the drone attack.
Early reports had suggested the vessel would be towed to Tuzla, Turkey. Later reports had said the vessel might be heading to another shipyard in the Black Sea. The salvage of the damaged tanker was the responsibility of the Chinese owners of the tanker.
The Kairos remains at anchor less than 1,000 yards from the Bulgarian town of Ahtopol. Bulgarian officials have reported that the ship was stable on one anchor and posed no immediate danger. However, at the owner's request, the Bulgarian Navy airlifted seven crewmembers from the ship to shore, leaving only three people aboard. Bulgaria also delivered supplies, including food, water, communications equipment, and a diesel generator and fuel to the ship. They report conditions aboard are difficult with no electricity or heat despite the winter weather.
Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport said moving the tanker would require a break in the weather, which has been complicating the rescue operation. They were in contact with the Chinese owners and had been discussing a plan for towing the Kairos. Reports had said the vessel might be moved to the anchorage near Burgas.
German Courts Debate Seizure of Russian Oil and Shadow Fleet Tanker
Eleven months after the German customs authorities first moved to seize a shadow fleet tanker and confiscate its cargo of Russian oil, the courts continue to debate the intricacies of the law in this unusual case. Germany’s Federal Fiscal Court on Thursday, December 11, upheld a lower court's decision suspending the ordered confiscation and sale.
The tanker Eventin remains under detention off the German coast in the roadstead near Sassnitz on the island of Rügen. The 152,000 dwt is the subject of a legal appeal by the time charterer of the tanker, attempting to block the confiscation and sale of the cargo, while has also seen the German Senate become involved.
The vessel was loaded in Russia and traveling the courts report to India when it broke down on January 9, 2025, in the Baltic. Due to the power outage, it became unmaneuverable, drifting into German territorial waters. It was eventually towed by the German authorities to the anchorage, and four days later, the Customs Office issued the detention order for an inspection, citing possible violations of the embargo on the export of Russian oil.
The owners of the vessel have remained a mystery even through the court proceedings. Built in 2006, the tanker was renamed Eventin in June 2022, with ownership listed as a shell company in the Marshall Islands. The vessel was registered in Panama. At the time the vessel broke down, it was not sanctioned, but was later added to the EU, UK, and US sanctions. Panama removed the ship from its registry in March as a result of the sanctions.
The German Customs office consulted with the European Commission’s Legal Service. In February, it received an opinion that the ship was in violation, and the only way it could leave Germany was to unload the cargo. The Customs Office issued the seizure order at the end of February and, in March, ordered the cargo seized and to be sold.
The charterer files an objection to the confiscation order in March. It sought legal protection from the Finance Court. The court suspended the confiscation order in May.
The federal court found today that the Finance Court had “well-founded doubts.” It says the definitions of the sanctions and possible exemptions are seriously doubtful in this case.
The appeal is based on the fact that the ship was under its legal right to seek refuge in a port after it became disabled. Further, they note the ship did not intend to enter the German EEZ, but instead was carried there by forces outside its control, ie, the currents and winds. The sanction regulations do contain an exception for vessels in distress to provide access to EU ports, but they point out that the ship was not sanctioned when it entered the German EEZ.
The court also writes that the German authorities actively prevented the ship from re-registering with another state’s flag after Panama withdrew its flag. Based on the confiscation order and a corresponding flag certificate, the court concludes the ship would be entitled to sail under the German flag.
The customs authority appealed the initial suspension order to the higher court. The court said the appeal is admissible but unfounded and therefore must be dismissed, due to the unresolved issues. The government continues to pursue its case and awaits a decision on the broader issue of whether the ship was exempt, as it was seeking refuge, or it was a violation of the ban on the export of Russian oil regardless of the circumstances. The court also said that the Senate must independently examine a request from the charterer to release the vessel and its cargo.
Experts point out that the case could have broader implications, as the EU this fall said it would move to stop more shadow fleet tankers. France held a shadow fleet tanker for several days at the end of September before releasing it, while French President Emmanuel Macron called for the EU to follow the same strategy to disrupt the economics of the Russian oil trade.
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