Shadow Fleet Tanker Departs Estonia After Achieving Technical Compliance

Estonian officials confirmed on Saturday, April 26, that the shadow fleet tanker they had been detaining for two weeks had been released reporting the vessel was now technically in compliance. The Kiwala (115,577 dwt) was stopped on April 10 while it was transiting the Baltic and a standard Port State inspection raised concern about the legitimacy of its flag and insurance as well as multiple deficiencies.

The Estonia Transport Administration last week reported it was still waiting for confirmation that 40 deficiencies had been corrected. Its inspectors identified 29 issues that were grounds for detention. This included 23 issues related to documentation, in addition to issues with safety management aboard the tanker, crew preparedness for various shipboard emergencies, and unspecified technical issues. The vessel is also operating under sanctions from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland.

The key question related to the vessel’s flag state. Estonia reported that the ship said it was registered in Djibouti, but records showed that the flag had been withdrawn at the start of the year. Estonia’s foreign ministry however reports it received information from Djibouti that it would accept the vessel until May 7. A confirmation letter was submitted to the Estonian Transportation Administration for what was called a “transitional period” with the documentation valid for another week and a half.

The tanker was re-inspected and the results of an audit of the vessel’s class society were checked. Estonia reports the technical issues had been corrected and so the detention order was lifted. The authorities said the vessel’s Chinese captain and international crew had cooperated. The Director of the Transport Administration told ERR News, “Technically, the ship is in order and it may depart.”

AIS signals show the Kiwala got back underway over the weekend and is arriving tomorrow, April 29, at the Russian port of Ust-Luga. The ship was traveling from Sikka, India, where it departed on March 11. Equasis shows the vessel managed from China but lists the Djibouti flag as false.

The vessel has been flag hopping and listed multiple managers over the past three years. There was no word of what flag it would be moving to in May.

“The whole incident confirms once again that there are significant deficiencies in the registers of the so-called flags of convenience countries and the data is not reliable and communication with them is problematic,” said Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.

He declared that his country would continue to deter Russian shadow fleet vessels that are sailing under a flag of convenience. He said since June 2024 the country has stopped over 500 ships to request insurance documents while they are transiting the Baltic. He said they would continue to work with other Baltic countries to ensure the safety of shipping.