Agency: Estonia has urged ships to avoid Russian waters in Baltic Sea since 2022
Estonia's Transport Administration has recommended vessels avoid Russian waters when sailing in the Gulf of Finland since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, said Kristjan Truu, head of the agency's maritime service.
On Sunday (May 18), Russia detained the Greek-owned and Liberian-flagged oil tanker "Green Admire." The vessel was sailing in Russian waters on a pre-agreed route after leaving the Port of Sillamäe in north-eastern Estonia.
"To our knowledge, the ship is still anchored near Gogland, and unfortunately, we do not have any further information at the moment," Truu told ERR on Monday. The island is known as Suursaar in Estonian (see map below.)
The agency has not been in contact with its Russian counterparts, the tanker's owner company or the flag state, he said.
Truu said a message was passed to "Green Admire's" captain to avoid Russian waters, but the captain makes the final decision.
"Since 2022, recommendations have been given to ships departing from the Port of Sillamäe to avoid crossing the Russian Federation's maritime areas. All traffic exiting Estonia's maritime area is advised to reroute in such a way that no vessels enter Russian waters, as peaceful passage cannot be guaranteed," he said.
The official said the ship entered Russian waters to reach the port and was detained on its return journey.
Navigating through Estonia's shallow waters is tricky but entirely feasible even for large ships.
"However, considering the size of tankers and their limited draft, captains have previously considered it potentially safer and more suitable to use the alternative route that passes through Russian waters. Still, the depth between the two shoals is sufficient for larger tankers to pass through without issues," Truu said.
The official stressed that under international maritime law, if the passage is peaceful, the coastal state must allow a vessel to transit through its maritime area without obstruction.
The "Green Admire" was technically sound, as far as the agency knew.
"The tanker loaded cargo at the port of Sillamäe and set course for Rotterdam. We are not aware of any issues there or any problems that arose during the voyage," Truu said.
"We are definitely monitoring the situation to see what is happening with the ship on the Russian side and when it will be released so that it can continue to its destination following international maritime law," he added.
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Editor: Aleksander Krjukov, Helen Wright
