Greek Oil Vessel Seized by Russia Near Estonian Waters

Last week, tensions flared in the Baltic Sea when Estonia’s navy tried to stop a tanker heading for Russia. in retaliation, the Russian Navy intercepted a Greek-owned tanker filled with Estonian fuel oil in the Gulf of Finland, as reported by Estonia’s transport authority.

The vessel, named Green Admire, was flagged under Liberia and owned by Greece. It was taken into custody early Sunday after leaving Sillamäe Port, which is conveniently located near the Russian border. The ship’s path led it into Russian waters where it was detained and redirected to Gogland Island—a territory controlled by Russia.

Interestingly enough, after its capture, the AIS signal from Green Admire displayed some unusual behavior typical of this area: it seemed to jump locations along the northern coast of the gulf while traveling at double its maximum speed—sometimes even appearing to pass over land!

AIS track of Green Admire post-diversion (image courtesy Pole Star)

This incident marks a first for such an occurrence according to local news outlet ERR. The route taken by Green Admire, recognized internationally as a safe passage for larger vessels and agreed upon by Estonia, Finland, and Russia, will now be avoided by Estonian merchant ships due to safety concerns stemming from this event.

“This situation highlights Russia’s unpredictable actions,” stated margus Tsahkna,Estonia’s Foreign Minister. “Consequently, we’ll be advising our ships to take option routes that are more complex.”

The interception might have been influenced by an earlier attempt from Estonia’s Navy last week when they tried stopping another sanctioned tanker named Jaguar. This vessel was on its way to Primorsk but ignored orders and continued sailing; subsequently prompting a Russian fighter jet response. Following that encounter, Estonia lodged a diplomatic complaint against Russia for what they deemed an unacceptable airspace violation.

Tsakna later appeared on TV show “Aktuaalne Kaamera” where he connected these two incidents directly: “Our efforts against Russia’s shadow fleet are clearly linked here,” he remarked. “It’s not just us; Finland and other Baltic nations are also stepping up.”