Estonia uncovers 40 violations on detained Russian-bound tanker Kiwala

The Department of Transport inspected the tanker Kiwala the day before, during which 40 violations were discovered. As a result, the ship has been prohibited from continuing its journey until all deficiencies are addressed.

"The inspection of the vessel, which took the whole of Friday, revealed a number of significant deficiencies. The deficiencies provided enough reason for the vessel to not be allowed to continue its voyage as neither maritime nor environmental safety could be ensured," said Kristjan Truu, Director of the Maritime Division at the Estonian Transport Authority.

According to the transport authorities, of the 40 violations discovered, 29 were serious and served as grounds for the detention of the vessel. Most of these 23 violations are concerned with documentation. The remaining violations involved:

• The safety systems for navigation;

• The crew's preparedness for emergency situations;

• Technical malfunctions.

"One important problem is certainly the suspicion arising from the ship having no flag, which means it is not subject to the legislation of any country. Estonia was exercising its rights and international obligations to inspect a ship without a flag," Truu explained.

It is known that the ship is currently in Muuga under the protection of the Estonian Navy. Once both the documentation and technical violations are rectified and re-inspection is completed, the Department of Transport will grant the tanker permission to resume its journey.

As a reminder, on April 11, the Estonian Defence Forces detained the Kiwala oil tanker after it entered Tallinn Bay without a flag.

It was later revealed that the vessel was part of Russia's shadow fleet, which Russia uses to transport oil in violation of sanctions.