Photo: Estonia’s Transport Administration
The Estonian Transport Administration has detained a Russia-bound oil tanker, banning it from continuing its voyage through the Baltic Sea until 40 safety violations identified by inspectors are rectified, the agency said in a statement on Saturday.
After it was discovered that the Djibouti-flagged vessel was no longer registered in the East African county, had no valid insurance, and had been sanctioned by the EU, the UK, Canada and Switzerland for “prior illicit conduct”, the Kiwala was ordered to stop in the Gulf of Finland on Friday and taken to Muuga Bay, near Tallinn, the agency said.
While the vessel’s connection to Russia has not been officially confirmed, Estonian newspaper Postimees reported that it was bound for the Russian port of Ust-Luga when it was detained, raising suspicions that it was part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” of ageing oil tankers sailing under the flags of poorly regulated third countries to allow it to circumvent sanctions and continue exporting Russian oil.
“We cannot allow the vessel to continue its voyage, as maritime and environmental safety cannot be guaranteed,” said Kristjan Truu, Director of the Maritime Department at the Transport Administration.
The majority of deficiencies — 23 in total — identified by the Transport Administration were related to the vessel’s documentation, while the remaining ones concerned the ship’s “safety management system”, crew preparedness for emergencies, and other technical issues.
To circumvent international sanctions introduced after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has assembled a vast “shadow fleet” of tankers, the age of which, as well as their generally poor maintenance and lack of regulation, pose significant environmental risks, according to Isaac Levy, an expert with the independent Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), who added that Russian shadow fleet tankers had been involved in over 30 maritime incidents around the world between 2022 and 2024.
