RUSSIAN REPRISAL VESSEL ARREST OF GREEK-OWNED LIBERIA-FLAGGED VESSEL
A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- A Liberia-flagged tanker was detained by Russian authorities in the vicinity of Hogland Island, Russia.
- At the time of writing the vessels remains in Russian waters.
- The vessel was almost certainly targeted due to the vessel’s cargo origin (Estonian shale oil) and port of departure (an Estonian terminal).
- A Gabon-flagged tanker was approached by the Estonian Navy; in response, Russia deployed a fighter jet into NATO airspace
- There is a realistic possibility of further retaliatory detentions.
B. INCIDENTS
On 18 May, a Liberia-flagged tanker was detained by Russian authorities in the vicinity of Hogland Island, Russia. The detention occurred following a port call at Sillamäe, Estonia, while the vessel was transiting a transnationally agreed transit corridor intended to avoid navigational hazards, enroute to Rotterdam, Netherlands. Following the detention, the Estonian Transport Administration announced that vessels calling at Sillamäe would henceforth be escorted through Estonian territorial waters. At the time of writing, Russian authorities had not issued any comment. AIS data indicated that the vessel’s destination was subsequently changed from Rotterdam to “Primorsk, Russia.”
This was preceded by an incident off Estonia. On 13 May, a Gabon-flagged tanker was approached by the Estonian Navy, 18NM northwest of Tallin, Estonia, while en route from Al Adabiyah, Egypt, to Primorsk, Russia. The tanker refused to comply with the Estonian law enforcement instructions…