Sanctioned tanker was held with 40 deficiencies, Estonia says
Estonian authorities have found 40 deficiencies on a sanctioned shadow fleet tanker detained on Friday.
The 115,600-dwt Kiwala (built 2007) was held in the Baltic Sea due to its alleged lack of a flag state.
Estonia has now said 23 deficiencies were found relating to documentation, and the rest were linked to seaworthiness.
The maritime division of the transport administration said on Saturday that the ship will not be released until the identified faults are resolved.
According to the Moscow Times, Kristjan Truu, the department’s director, said: “We cannot allow the ship to continue its voyage because maritime and environmental safety cannot be guaranteed.”
Documents produced by the crew showed a Djibouti registration.
But the flag state said it had removed the tanker from its register.
The aframax is anchored in Muuga Bay.
The Kiwala is under sanctions from Canada, the European Union, Switzerland and the UK.
The master is Chinese, with most of the 24-member crew from either China or Mauritania.
TradeWinds reported on Friday that the Baltic country’s public broadcaster ERR said the captain was being cooperative.
The detention followed Estonia’s parliament, the Riigikogu, passing a law to strengthen maritime security, giving its military forces the ability to directly confront threats toward the country.
The Kiwala has a long history of flag hopping, flying four flags since late 2022, when it was sold by Performance Shipping.
According to Kpler, the Kiwala has been used solely to bring crude oil from Russia’s Baltic Sea ports to India.
The Kiwala’s registered owner and commercial manager is a Mauritius-listed company called Triad Shipping, and its technical manager is Shanghai-based Hong Ze Hu Shipmanagement.
Content Original Link:
Read Full article from Original Source TradeWinds www.tradewindsnews.com
" target="_blank">Read Full article from Original Source TradeWinds www.tradewindsnews.com
