The tanker, which Estonia was forced to let go, went for Russian oil

The Kiwala tanker, which was detained by the Estonian Navy, is waiting to load oil at the port of Ust-Luga. The Estonian authorities were forced to release the vessel, as they eliminated all technical claims on board, but did not find any others.

The Kiwala tanker, capable of carrying 115 thousand tons of oil, has approached the oil terminal in Ust-Luga and is waiting for its turn to load oil. This is evidenced by the AIS data of the courts.

The tanker is located 8 miles from the terminal at the anchorage.

The ship was supposed to arrive in Ust-Luga on April 11. Then the vessel made a night crossing past the coast of Estonia in neutral waters, but the border ship and the minesweeper of the Estonian Navy forced the tanker to turn off the route and enter the territorial waters of the country — to anchor near Tallinn.

The idea of the Estonian authorities was to discover the absence of insurance and registration of the vessel on board, which would give the right to officially declare the tanker a vessel of the shadow fleet and detain it.

The commander of the Estonian Navy, Ivo Vark, immediately announced suspicions that the vessel had 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.

"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."

However, apparently, the Estonian authorities were able to find only technical violations on board the vessel. Two weeks later, the director of the Maritime Service of the Transport Department, Kristjan Truu, said that the previously identified shortcomings had been eliminated and the ship had received permission to leave Estonia.

"Technically, the ship is fine and can leave the country," said Kristian Truu.

Part of the countries The EU has formed a coalition and is trying to influence oil exports from Russia with the help of shadow fleet vessels. They began to be used after The EU banned the import of Russian oil to the EU and, together with the G7, set a limit on the price of raw materials for third countries.

Shadow fleet vessels are called tankers that carry sanctioned oil, belong to little-known owners and their age exceeds 15 years.

Kiwala tanker was sanctioned EU and UK more than a year ago. According to Equasis, the vessel flies the flag of Djibouti and belongs to Tirad Shipping, registered in Mauritius.