Turkey (Reuters) -Estonia said on Thursday that Moscow had briefly sent a military jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea during an attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a “shadow fleet” defying Western sanctions on Moscow.Russia, which regards sanctions as a malign attempt to crush its economy, says all its ships have free passage in the Baltic and any attempt to stop them is dangerous.
Detain a Russian-bound oil tanker
On the other hand The Estonian Navy revealed that it attempted this week to detain a Russian-bound oil tanker (Jaguar ship ) subject to British sanctions because it was sailing illegally and without a flag. Authorities did not board the vessel, which refused to cooperate, but instead escorted it into Russian waters, according to CNN.
Added the Jaguar to its sanctions list
Britain added the Jaguar to its sanctions list last Friday. It is one of approximately 100 vessels in Russia’s “shadow fleet,” a term Western countries use to refer to vessels Moscow is accused of deploying to evade international sanctions.These vessels are not usually regulated or insured by traditional Western organizations.
The ship was near Naysar Island off Tallinn
Estonian Navy Commander Ivo Vark told Reuters in an email that the ship was near Naysar Island off Tallinn when the Estonian Navy contacted it by radio at 3:30 PM GMT on Tuesday. Vark explained on Wednesday that since the ship was sailing “without nationality,” Estonia “had to verify the ship’s documents and legal status.
The ship refused to cooperate
He added, “The ship refused to cooperate and continued its journey towards Russia… Given that the ship is stateless, there was no need for the use of force, including boarding.”Farke noted that an Estonian patrol escorted the Jaguar until it reached Russian waters.
Russia “should face stronger and swifter sanctions”
Related : Estonian navy detains Russia-bound oil tanker in Baltic Sea
Estonian Foreign Minister Marjus Tsakna said via the X platform that Russia “should face stronger and swifter sanctions” in response.On Thursday, the Jaguar was anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk, Marine Traffic data showed.
Jaguar was anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk
Data from the ship-tracking platform MarineTraffic showed that the Jaguar was anchored near the Russian port of Primorsk on Thursday and was listed there under the flag of the Central African nation of Gabon.the navy communicated with it by radio on Tuesday afternoon, Commander Ivo Vark told Reuters in an email message.
the navy sought to verify its documents and status, Vark said. But when it refused to cooperate and continued towards Russian waters, the navy opted to escort it there with a patrol boat.
An incident on April 11
It is noteworthyl In an incident on April 11, Estonia detained and boarded a Russia-bound oil tanker, Kiwala, accusing it of sailing without a valid country flag. The tanker cooperated, and was released two weeks later.
Related :The tragedy of Shadow ship discovered adrift off the Baltic coast
The vessel, which Michal said did not sail under any nation’s flag but was previously registered to Djibouti according to publicly available records, was detained near Tallinn Bay in an operation involving helicopters.
The ship was heading to the port of Ust-Luga, a key Russian seaborne oil port in the Baltic Sea, according to Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR).
Finland accused Russia’s ships of behaving recklessly in the area while Lithuania expressed fears of conflict.
Moscow commands a vast fleet of oil-exporting tankers in the Baltic Sea which it uses to circumvent Western sanctions The Shadow vessels often have no flags — a violation of international maritime law — and dubious documentation, with some suspected of being involved in acts of sabotage on the seabed.Western nations say Moscow is using a “shadow fleet” of more than 100 ships to dodge sanctions that President Vladimir Putin views as a part of a campaign to quash its global influence.
