Estonia detains cargo ship with Russian crew on suspected smuggling

Read also France detains captain of Russian shadow tanker Grinch

The Baltic Spirit, flying the flag of the Bahamas, was sailing through Estonian territorial waters toward Russia.

Employees of the Tax and Customs Department, a special police unit, and the navy detained the container ship on suspicion of smuggling from South America.

According to the authorities, the ship arrived in Estonian waters to refuel and replenish supplies and was at an official anchorage. Law enforcement agencies had reason to believe that the container ship could have been used for smuggling.

The K-Commando special police unit boarded the ship by helicopter and then detained it for inspection. The ship's crew, including 23 Russian citizens, did not resist.

According to preliminary checks, the container ship does not belong to Russia's shadow fleet and is not subject to EU sanctions.

Photo: Container ship with Russian crew detained in Estonia (PPA)

Photo: Container ship with Russian crew detained in Estonia (PPA)

Photo: Container ship with Russian crew detained in Estonia (PPA)

Incidents involving Russian ships

Germany did not allow a tanker linked to Russia's shadow fleet to enter the Baltic Sea.

The ship attracted the attention of analysts due to its unusual route: while heading to one of the Russian ports to load raw materials, the tanker suddenly stopped its course towards the Baltic Sea, then turned around and went in the other direction.

This is the first recorded case of a European country denying a shadow fleet vessel access to the Baltic Sea.

Also, the British Royal Navy recently expelled a suspicious Russian ship from the Bristol Channel after it anchored near critical underwater cables.

On January 22, the French military conducted a special operation and detained a tanker belonging to the shadow fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, which was heading from Russia.