Russia detained a tanker leaving an Estonian port

The oil tanker Green Admire, which was heading from the Estonian port of Sillamäe to Rotterdam, was detained by Russia in the Baltic Sea. Estonia informed NATO allies about the incident.

This was reported by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The department noted that this route had been previously agreed with the Russian Federation, Estonia and Finland.

“Today’s incident shows that Russia continues to behave unpredictably. I have also informed our allies about this event,” said Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhna.

The ministry noted that in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, ships going to and from the port of Sillamäe will be redirected exclusively through Estonian territorial waters.

According to ERR, the tanker Green Admire belongs to the Greek company Aegean Shipping. The vessel left the Estonian port at around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, and was heading through Russian territorial waters to Rotterdam with a cargo of oil.

After midnight, Russia stopped the tanker, after which it headed for the Russian island of Gogland, where it is currently anchored.

As we will recall, the Estonian Navy previously tried to arrest a Russian tanker under sanctions that was passing near submarine cables. The incident is interesting because it is the first time that a Russian fighter jet entered NATO airspace to “protect” its vessel. NATO fighters also took to the air.