Spain rescues Russian tanker under sanctions after engine failure
28.01.2026 - 11:18
The ship was drifting with a faulty engine in international waters off the Spanish coast.
Spain sent a rescue ship to the sanctioned Russian “shadow fleet” tanker Chariot Tide and escorted it to the port of Tangier-Med (Morocco), Reuters reported.
The Chariot Tide was sailing under the flag of Mozambique. After losing power, it was escorted by the Spanish merchant fleet and brought to the Moroccan port. Madrid did not explain why the ship was not detained. The Spanish Ministry of Defense did not respond to requests for comment.
The Chariot Tide (until November – Marabella Sun) has been under EU sanctions since November 2024 for participating in Russian oil export schemes and using “illegal and high-risk” shipping practices. The ship is also under sanctions by the United Kingdom.
On the night of December 5, 2025, the tanker stopped in the German part of the North Sea, allegedly due to technical problems. At that time, the German federal police boarded it for an inspection, after which the ship changed its flag from Gambia to Mozambique.
Meanwhile, a group of 14 European countries issued a warning to tankers of the “shadow fleet” in the Baltic and North Seas.
