Estonian authorities on Tuesday boarded and detained a cargo ship sailing under the Bahamian flag in Estonia’s internal waters, which they said may be linked to smuggling from Ecuador.
On Tuesday at 5:10 p.m., officials of the Investigation Department of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, in cooperation with a police special unit and the navy, detained a cargo vessel, sailing under the Bahamian flag and heading for Russia, near Naissaar.
“There is reason to believe that the vessel may have been used for smuggling,” the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (ETCB) said in a statement on February 3.
The police special unit K-Commando boarded the ship and then detained the vessel for the purpose of carrying out a customs inspection.
The ship’s crew did not offer resistance, the authority said.
To board the ship, the K-Commando used a helicopter from the police and border guard board’s aviation unit and the navy vessel Raju. The operation was additionally supported by the navy ship Admiral Cowan and the state fleet’s pilot boat Ahto-26. The Transport Administration is also involved in the operation.
The operation is ongoing, and in addition to the K-Commando, officials from the Investigation Department of the Tax and Customs Board are on board the vessel, carrying out initial inspection procedures on site.
The ship was en route from Ecuador to St. Petersburg, Russia. It entered Estonian waters for bunkering. At the time of the initial customs inspection, the vessel was located at an official anchorage.
“According to information available to the Estonian Navy, the vessel is not part of the Russian “shadow fleet” nor is it subject to European Union sanctions,” the statement of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board reads.
The ship is a 16,580-dwt refrigerated cargo ship, sailing under the Bahamas flag, built in 2018.
The Shipping Telegraph cannot verity the report of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board.
