A Russian oil tanker has been towed from the Baltic Sea by the German authorities. This is the first concrete measure against the "phantom" tankers from Russia.

For the first time, a tanker from the Russian phantom fleet, named Arcusat, has been blocked by European countries at the entrance to the Baltic Sea. The tanker, which was heading to a Russian port, was forced to change its route into German territorial waters, turning north. This action follows European promises to take measures against Russian ships sailing under false flags.

Arcusat, which has no records in the database of the International Maritime Organization, flies a Tanzanian flag in some documents and a Cameroonian flag in others. International regulations allow coastal states to restrict the navigation of ships without nationality, and the European Union is working on a legal basis to detain tankers carrying Russian oil, in accordance with imposed sanctions.