The Estonian navy emphasizes that the vessel is not linked to any cable break or other damaged infrastructure. The purpose of seizing the vessel was to check its documentation and legal status.
The vessel – which has been targeted by sanctions from, among others, Canada, the EU, and the UK – was on its way to Russian Ust-Luga.
After inspection, the Estonian navy has established that the vessel is stateless. A document claiming it was flagged in Djibouti has been dismissed by the East African country. The captain and most of the crew are from China, according to Estonia's coastguard.
The Russian shadow fleet is a way to circumvent the sanctions imposed by the EU, the US, and other Western countries against Russia due to the Russian invasion war in Ukraine. The vessels are typically outdated and circumvent the rules, among other things, by having complex ownership structures and sailing under so-called flags of convenience.
