Baltic country accuses Russia of detaining oil tanker
Estonian authorities have accused Russia of detaining a tanker carrying shale oil from the Baltic country. The incident reportedly took place not long after Tallinn attempted to inspect a vessel sailing from Russia.
Western nations imposed maritime restrictions on Russia and an oil price cap on the country's crude exports, following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. They have since accused Russia of circumventing the restrictions by using a so-called 'shadow fleet' of tankers, which operate outside Western insurance systems.
In a statement on Sunday, Estonia's Foreign Ministry claimed that earlier in the day, 'the Russian Federation detained the oil tanker Green Admire, sailing under the Liberian flag and owned by a Greek company, as it was departing from the Estonian Port of Sillamae and following a previously agreed route through Russian territorial waters.'
According to officials in Tallinn, the vessel entered Russian waters under a trilateral agreement between Moscow, Tallinn and Helsinki, to avoid shallows.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that 'this is definitely connected to the fact that we have started to harass Russia's shadow fleet.'
Tsahkna revealed that last week Estonian authorities attempted to 'inspect' an unflagged and uninsured vessel, which was passing through its exclusive economic zone, under suspicion that it has been sanctioned by the UK and belongs to Russia's 'shadow fleet.' A Russian fighter jet briefly violated Estonian airspace while accompanying the tanker, he added.
Nikolay Patrushev, a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, last month said that the EU and the UK were mulling further restrictions to disrupt Moscow's shipping activities that 'increasingly resemble a maritime blockade.'
The official, who chairs Russia's Maritime Board, warned the 'hotheads in London or Brussels' that Moscow would not hesitate to deploy its Navy to ensure the security of Russian shipping, should diplomatic or legal instruments prove ineffective.
In recent months, NATO has increased its military presence in the Baltic Sea after claiming that Russia had intentionally damaged undersea cables in the region.
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