Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that the detention of the unregistered shadow fleet vessel Kiwala by the Estonian Navy in the Gulf of Finland proved that the coordinated steps taken by countries bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to tackle Russia’s shadow fleet were working and helped to protect the environment and maritime safety.
Tsahkna said it was the first shadow fleet vessel detained by Estonia, and commended the Estonian Defence Forces. “We are acting in a coordinated and targeted manner to protect our security and environment, and we are implementing our right to check suspected ships passing through Estonia’s Exclusive Economic Zone,” Tsahkna said. “The shadow fleet vessel Kiwala entered Estonian waters without registration and insurance and it has been sanctioned by the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland.”
In June, Estonia was the first country to start checking the vessels of Russia’s shadow fleet and subsequently it has checked the documents of nearly 500 ships.
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