Estonian authorities have detained a container ship crewed by Russian sailors, the country’s public broadcaster reported. The vessel was stopped during a joint operation involving an investigative unit of Estonia’s Tax and Customs Board, the police, and the navy.
The container ship “Baltiyskiy Dukh”, sailing under the flag of the Bahamas, was detained in Estonia’s internal waters on suspicion of possible involvement in the smuggling of cargo from Ecuador. According to unconfirmed reports, narcotics may have been on board.
A K-Commando special police unit boarded the vessel, after which the container ship was detained for a customs inspection as part of state supervision. The crew offered no resistance.
The operation involved a helicopter from the PPA aviation squadron and the naval vessel “Raju”. Support was also provided by the navy ship “Admiral Cowan” and the state fleet’s pilot boat “Ahto-26”. Estonia’s Transport Administration also took part.
The ship was sailing from Ecuador to St Petersburg and entered Estonian waters to refuel. At the time of the initial customs inspection, the container ship was at an official anchorage. According to information held by the Estonian navy, the vessel is not part of the so-called Russian shadow fleet and is not subject to European Union sanctions.