Estonian authorities have released a Russia-linked refrigerated cargo vessel after a thorough inspection found no drugs or other illegal cargo on board.
The Baltic Spirit, a 188-metre reefer vessel with a cargo capacity of around 750,000 cubic feet, was allowed to leave Muuga port early on Thursday.
The ship has now resumed its journey to St Petersburg, Russia.
The vessel was detained on Tuesday afternoon while sailing through Estonian waters in the Gulf of Finland, where it had anchored near Naissaar Island for bunkering.
Estonian police and customs officials boarded the ship following information suggesting it could be involved in drug smuggling.
The operation involved about 50 personnel from the Tax and Customs Board, Police and Border Guard Board, and the Estonian Navy.
A helicopter-borne police special unit carried out the boarding in Tallinn Bay, after which the ship was taken to Muuga, east of Tallinn, for inspection. The vessel’s 23 Russian crew members did not resist the operation.
Customs officers unloaded and inspected containers that had been flagged as suspicious once the ship was alongside.
Authorities later said that
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