Estonia Continues to Hold Stateless Shadow Tanker Waiting Resolutions

After two weeks, Estonian authorities are saying they continue to wait for word from the managers of a detained tanker that the issues leading to its detention have been resolved. The Kiwala (115,000 dwt) remains anchored in Muuga Bay and is being guarded by the Navy including with its flagship and patrol boats.

Estonian authorities with the Transportation Administration told the news outlet ERR that the Kiwala's captain and crew have been cooperating with the investigation. They are however waiting for confirmation from the oil tanker's representative that the ship's issues have been resolved.

Kristjan Truu, Director of the Maritime Department at the Transport Administration, had said when the ship was detained on April 11 that they were hopeful for a “swift resolution.” Speaking to ERR he said, "Once we have received confirmation, inspectors from the Transport Administration can go on board to carry out a follow-up inspection."

Over the past year, Estonia officials said there has been an increase in unknown insurance-covered vessel transits through the Gulf of Finland. These activities they assert pose a threat to Estonia’s critical infrastructure, safe navigation, and the marine environment. As such, they said they were acting under their rights and obligations as a port state when they stopped the vessel for an inspection.

Since June, the Transport Administration reports it has inspected the documents of 458 vessels. During these inspections, a variety of insurance documents were submitted to the authority. One forgery was identified, and additional documents suspected of being falsified were sent to the relevant flag states for verification. In cooperation with other authorities, the Transport Administration reports it had also conducted inspections of seven vessels in anchor areas.

What initially started as a routine check of documents however quickly escalated aboard Kiwala into the ongoing detention. The ship claimed to be registered in Djibouti, but in a check, they were told the flag had been withdrawn due to “illegal activities.” The tanker is sanctioned by the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland for previous illegal activities.

Inspectors spent the full day aboard the vessel on April 11 and carried out an extended inspection of the vessel. They identified several significant deficiencies that led the authorities to say the vessel could not be allowed the vessel to continue its voyage, as maritime and environmental safety cannot be guaranteed.

Out of the 40 deficiencies, 29 were significant and constituted the basis for detaining the vessel. The majority of these — 23 in total — were related to documentation, while the remaining deficiencies concerned the implementation of the ship’s safety management system, crew preparedness for various shipboard emergencies, and technical issues.

Until the authorities have been satisfied that all the issues have been corrected, Estonia will continue to detain the tanker. It was traveling in ballast inbound for Russia’s Ust-Luga terminal.

The European Commission announced yesterday that it was also moving to tighten restrictions on vessels transiting European waters. Even if the vessels are not making a port call, the EC resolution now requires the vessels to file proof of insurance. It is seen as a further crackdown targeting vessels such as the Kiwala operating as part of the shadow fleet servicing the Russian oil industry.