Kathrine Frich
A drifting oil tanker has set off fresh fears in the Mediterranean.
Authorities are watching closely as a sanctioned vessel linked to Russia floats dangerously close to a major tourist coastline, raising the spectre of an environmental disaster.
Power failure at sea
The Chariot Tide, a 19-year-old tanker linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, has been drifting without power in the Mediterranean after suffering a mechanical failure.
According to reporting by the Daily Express, the ship was left “Not Under Command” in the Strait of Gibraltar earlier this week.
The vessel is carrying between 300,000 and 425,000 barrels of refined oil products.
It is currently located around 50 miles off Spain’s Costa del Sol, one of Europe’s most popular tourist regions.
Its engines failed while transiting one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
False flag concerns
Although the tanker was carrying oil loaded at the Russian port of Ust-Luga, near the Estonian border, it is sailing under a Mozambican flag.
Authorities believe this is part of a broader effort to obscure ownership and evade Western sanctions.
The ship was initially at risk of running aground near the Moroccan coast.
Moroccan tugboats intervened, preventing a grounding but towing the vessel eastward into international waters and Spain’s search-and-rescue zone, according to The Olive Press.
Spanish officials are now responsible for monitoring its movements.
Environmental fears
Spain’s maritime rescue vessel Maria Zambrano is shadowing the tanker, while the pollution-control ship Luz de Mar remains on standby.
Data from MarineTraffic shows the vessel drifting slowly in the Alboran Sea.
The situation has triggered fears of a repeat of the 2002 Prestige disaster, Spain’s worst environmental catastrophe.
That spill devastated coastlines across Spain, France and Portugal.
Environmental experts warn that a hull failure could send diesel washing onto beaches and severely damage marine life.
Troubled history
The Chariot Tide has a record of technical problems.
In December, it suffered similar issues near sensitive undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, prompting the German Navy to board the vessel.
The ship is part of Russia’s shadow fleet, a network of aging tankers accused of using deceptive practices to transport sanctioned oil.
These vessels often operate with poor maintenance and unclear ownership.
Recent weeks have seen increased Western action against such ships.
Growing pressure
Last week, the French Navy seized another shadow tanker, The Grinch, diverting it to Marseille.
Earlier this month, US and UK forces intercepted the tanker Bella 1 in the North Atlantic for sanctions violations.
Spanish authorities are now weighing whether to allow the Chariot Tide to continue drifting or to seize it, a move that could trigger diplomatic tensions with Moscow.
The decision may determine whether the Mediterranean avoids another major ecological disaster.
Sources: Daily Express, The Olive Press, MarineTraffic
