An oil tanker en route from Estonia to Rotterdam has been detained by Russia. The vessel was following an agreed route through Russian waters but is now anchored there.
The tanker Green Admire is carrying shale oil, flies the Liberian flag, and is owned by a Greek company. It departed yesterday from the port of Sillamäe, near the Estonian-Russian border, entering Russian waters—a common route agreed upon by Finland, Estonia, and Russia due to insufficient depth elsewhere for large tankers.
Russia halted the ship, an unprecedented action according to the Estonian Transport Board. Since this afternoon, the Green Admire has been anchored near Hogland Island in the Russian part of the Gulf of Finland. Russia is likely imposing a fine.
Estonian Foreign Minister Tsahkna believes the detention is linked to an incident last Thursday when Estonia's navy attempted to inspect a Russian shadow fleet vessel, which refused cooperation. Russia then sent a fighter jet to protect the ship, violating NATO airspace.
Tsahkna stated this incident shows Russia's continued unpredictability. NATO has been informed, and ships from Sillamäe are now rerouted away from Russian waters.