Estonian authorities on February 3rd detained a container ship that was anchored in Estonian internal waters while sailing under the flag of the Bahamas; there are suspicions that the ship was carrying contraband goods, writes ERR News.
On Tuesday afternoon, representatives of the Customs and Tax Administration (MTA), police and navy boarded the ship, which was anchored near the northern coast of Estonia. The ship Baltic Spirit, which was sailing under the flag of the Bahamas, was on its way to Russia. The MTA said in a statement that there is reason to believe that the ship is being used to transport contraband.
The Estonian police special unit K-Commando seized the ship using a helicopter and then detained it, allowing customs officials to board to inspect the ship. The ship’s crew reportedly did not resist.
The Baltic Spirit was stopped while en route from Ecuador to St. Petersburg. It entered Estonian territorial waters to refuel. The vessel was at an official anchorage during the detention and initial inspection. The MTA stated that, according to information available to the Estonian Navy,
the Baltic Spirit is not part of the Russian shadow fleet, nor is it subject to European Union sanctions.
Marek Aas, head of K-Commando, said that information about the suspicious vessel was received from the MTA. He explained that the operation was peaceful, and in such situations the purpose of the special task force is to seize the vessel and make sure that the situation is safe and other institutions can carry out inspections. Aas denied that the vessel was involved in violating sanctions or belonging to the shadow fleet. When asked if there were drugs on board, Aas replied that this would be determined during the investigation.
The 188-meter-long ship will remain at anchor for the time being, and will later be moved to the port for a more detailed inspection. Aas added that it should be taken into account that the ship is not small, there are many cargo containers on it, and the search could take a significant amount of time.
There were 23 crew members on board, all of them Russian citizens.
It is estimated that 50 people from various Estonian institutions participated in the operation, but Aas pointed out that there is still room for improvement. For example, in this case, two helicopters would have been useful: one for carrying out the task, the other for security. More resources would allow you to get to the right place faster and with a larger number of personnel.
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