boatfag confirms
A minesweeper and a border guard ship drove a tanker for Russian oil into Estonia
April 11th, 2025
Estonia detained the Kiwala tanker, which was carrying oil cargo to Ust-Luga, to check documents. The vessel is under sanctions EU and UK. AIS data show that the border ship and the minesweeper of the Estonian Navy forced the tanker to turn off the route in neutral waters.
The Kiwala tanker was heading from the Indian port of Sika to the Russian port of Ust-Luga and did not reach the oil terminal 150 miles away. In the economic zone of Estonia in the Baltic Sea, which is neutral waters, the ship was detained by the Estonian Navy and Coast Guard. Judging by the AIS data of the vessels, the 244-meter sub-sanctioned tanker was forced to turn off the route for more than an hour.
"Early this morning, the naval forces detained the Kiwala oil tanker in the Gulf of Finland. The ship arrived from the port of Sika in India and headed east. Port of destination — Ust-Luga in Russia, "— said the commander of the Estonian Navy Ivo Vark, reports Rostimees.
"The ship is anchored in Muuga Bay. The purpose of the detention is to check the documents of the vessel and its legal status. The detention and the investigation are in no way related to damage to critical infrastructure, and the investigation will be conducted by the competent authorities on the ship," the Navy commander said.
According to him, there are suspicions that the vessel has neither a flag nor insurance. It is also under EU sanctions due to the transportation of Russian oil at a price above the limit set by the G7 and the EU.
The director of the maritime service of the Transport Department, Kristian Truu, said that technical inspections were being carried out on the ship.
"It is safe to say that the tanker is part of a shadow fleet that uses the Baltic Sea to transport prohibited goods. The same is with this tanker," said Veiko Kommusaara, Deputy Director General of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Department. — A vessel without a flag. Such vessels are not allowed to sail."
According to Dostimees, the operation to detain the tanker began at three o'clock in the morning on April 11.
"At 04.19 Kiwala entered the territorial waters of Estonia. The Police and Border Guard Department also used a helicopter during the operation. The tanker is currently anchored in Muuga Bay, east of Aena Island. There are 24 third-country nationals on board. The captain of the vessel is a Chinese citizen, the rest of the crew of the vessel are probably citizens of Myanmar. The ship's captain is ready to cooperate. The vessel will be detained until the technical deficiencies are eliminated," the Estonian edition writes.
https://eadaily.com/en/news/2025/04/11/a-minesweeper-and-a-border-guard-ship-drove-a-tanker-for-russian-oil-into-estonia