Ghost tanker sailing to Russia turns around near Baltic

The oil tanker Arcusat abruptly changed course after passing through Danish waters. The vessel, which is listed as "never existing" in international databases, was initially headed for the Gulf of Finland but turned back towards the Arctic coast of Russia. German media reported the intervention of the country’s authorities – this is the first case of a shadowy tanker being forced to turn back in the region, reports Bloomberg.

The tanker's identification has raised questions among ship brokers and oil traders. The Equasis database contains a record of the vessel marked "never existed." The International Maritime Organization also found no ship associated with the IMO number broadcast by Arcusat.

According to local media, it was German authorities who forced the ship to turn around. If this practice is repeated regularly, it could seriously affect Moscow's ability to export crude oil through the Baltic Sea.

The tanker was reportedly built last year at a Chinese shipyard. Different databases contradict each other regarding the flag – some indicate Tanzania, others Cameroon.

The vessel appeared on global registries in March last year under the name "Linhai Huajie LH202313" with a status of "on order." It was to be delivered by Linhai Huajie of eastern China to Sempre Shipping Ltd. But in April the tanker completely disappeared from all records, as if it had never been built.

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