Putin orders vetting of vessels calling at Russian ports

ALL vessels calling at Russian ports from foreign ports will only be able to do so with the permission of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and the harbour master, as mandated by a presidential decree signed by Vladimir Putin.

The FSB will determine the officials tasked with carrying out the vetting process, as stipulated by the decree, which enters into force with immediate effect.

Previously, vessel entry was controlled by the Ministry of Transport, state news agency TASS reported, with the security services only becoming involved if a port’s waters adjoined a naval base.

No specific justification has been given by the Russian Government for the decree, but the handing over of vessel vetting to the FSB follows a series of mystery explosions on vessels linked to Russia around the world over the past few months.

At least six vessels have been rocked by explosions in 2025 so far, in locations as far apart as Türkiye, the Libyan coast and Italy.

But earlier this month, Marshall Islands-flagged 2024-built Eco Wizard (IMO: 9941568) suffered two explosions within 10 minutes of each other while docked at the Russian port of Ust-Luga.

Just like the other incidents that preceded it, the cause of the blast was not immediately clear, but sources close to the operation of the vessel told Lloyd’s List a limpet mine was thought to have caused the explosion.

The perpetrator (or perpetrators) of these attacks have not been identified, but there have been some suggestions that an unnamed state actor is responsible. Several fingers have pointed to Ukraine as being behind the explosions.

Lloyd’s List even understands that political back channels were used by the US to quietly warn Ukraine to cease the attacks if, of course, it was responsible for them.

To counter this threat, the Russian state port agency, Rosmorport, launched a $40m tender to contract underwater inspections of vessels in major Baltic ports last week, the Moscow Times reported.

According to the tender, contractors will be tasked with detecting foreign objects attached the vessel hulls in port such as St Petersburg, Ust-Luga and Kaliningrad.

The result of the tender is expected to be announced on August 4, 2025.