The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom, announced the start of an inspection of the state port of the detained tanker Eagle S, which is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” used to bypass sanctions.
During this inspection, it will be determined if the vessel has all the necessary certificates and documents required by existing conventions, as well as whether the deficiencies from the previous inspection have been addressed.
The tanker was detained in the Gulf by the Finnish police after the EstLink 2 cable connecting Estonia and Finland was damaged, and the crew of the tanker may have intentionally damaged the cable using an anchor.
Currently, the vessel is located in one of the Finnish ports with seven crew members prohibited from leaving the country. In addition to investigations carried out on board the tanker, a deep-water search is underway in the Gulf of Finland utilizing a specialized underwater vehicle.
“The aged Eagle S tanker is part of Russia’s shadow fleet,” according to people familiar with the investigation, reported The Financial Times on December 26. “Shadow fleet” refers to tankers used by Russia to bypass international sanctions on oil exports.
