The Estonian navy detained and boarded a Russia-bound oil tanker on an EU sanctions list on Friday, accusing it of sailing illegally without a valid country flag.The vessel, the Kiwala, has been under EU sanctions since February as
The Estonian navy detained and boarded a Russia-bound oil tanker on an EU sanctions list on Friday, accusing it of sailing illegally without a valid country flag.
The vessel, the Kiwala, has been under EU sanctions since February as part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet", a term Western countries use for ships they say Moscow deploys to circumvent international sanctions. The ships are typically not regulated or insured by conventional Western providers.
The Kiwala was on its way to Russia at the time of the seizure, MarineTraffic data showed. It was flying a Djibouti flag, but an Estonian Transport Authority official said Djibouti had denied that it was registered there.
Reuters was not immediately able to reach Djibouti authorities for comment. Russia's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"Early this morning, the Estonian navy detained a sanctioned vessel with no flag state," Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said in a post on social media X.
"Estonia takes suspicious activities in the Baltic Sea very seriously," he added.
In placing the ship on its sanctions registry in February, the EU said it was involved in transporting Russian oil "while practicing irregular and high-risk shipping practices".
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