According to the publication Postimees, the vessel KIWALA was following along the territorial waters of Estonia to the Russian port of Ust-Luga. According to the website Marinetraffic, the tanker, currently under the flag of Djibouti, is anchored near the island of Aegna accompanied by Estonian naval ships.
Estonian authorities reported that the tanker was detained for document and legal status verification. Veiko Kommusaar, head of the Police and Border Guard Department, stated that the tanker is under EU, UK, Canada, and Switzerland sanctions.
During the detention, it became clear that the vessel had no flag of any state, making it illegal for navigation. Estonia exercised its right to detain the vessel for inspection.
After the detention, the vessel provided a flag certificate, but a representative from Djibouti stated that the vessel is not registered in their registry. There is also no information about the owner. The ship's captain cooperated with the authorities.
The Transport Department is currently conducting an inspection of the vessel, including examining its structure, documentation, and other important aspects. If the vessel poses a danger to navigation, it will be detained until technical deficiencies are resolved.
The owner and manager of the vessel is the company Tirad Shipping Inc (Mauritius), whose fleet consists only of this vessel.
The detention of the tanker occurred against the backdrop of amendments to the Estonian Defense Forces Act to better control the security of infrastructure in the Baltic Sea and, if necessary, to attack civilian ships. According to these changes, the Estonian Defense Forces have the right to use force in their maritime area to prevent threats from a civilian vessel.
In September 2024, the Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, Andrus Merilo, announced the development of plans to block Russian shipping in the Baltic Sea to protect the country's security.
Photo: Eero Vabamägi