Russia Detains Oil Tanker

Russia has detained the oil tanker Green Admire in its territorial waters of the Baltic Sea as it was departing from the Estonian port of Sillamäe and navigating along a previously agreed route. This was reported by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The tanker, registered under the Liberian flag, belongs to the Greek company Aegean Shipping. It departed from the Sillamäe port around 6:30 PM on May 17. According to Estonian ERR news agency, Russian authorities stopped the tanker shortly after midnight, and it was soon redirected to Gogland Island, which is owned by Russia, where it anchored. The vessel was transporting shale oil, with Rotterdam as its final destination.

The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the navigation route was chosen “for maritime safety reasons” and “was created by mutual agreement between Russia, Estonia, and Finland.” The agency added that Estonia will redirect traffic to the Sillamäe port, ensuring that movement occurs solely within Estonian territorial waters to “prevent similar incidents from occurring.”

Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that today’s incident demonstrates that “Russia continues to act unpredictably.” He mentioned that allies have been informed about the detention of the tankers.