Finns detain Russian tanker with espionage gear in Baltic Sea
The Finns have detained the tanker Eagle S, which belongs to the Russian "shadow fleet." The owner of the vessel, Caravella LLC FZ, based in the United Arab Emirates, is now demanding the return of the "hijacked ship."
The British newspaper "Lloyd's List" recently revealed that the ship detained by the Finns was carrying espionage equipment. This included "huge suitcases" and laptops with keyboards in Russian and Turkish languages. The equipment was reportedly intended to monitor the maritime and air traffic of NATO countries. Similar devices were said to have been placed on another tanker, the Swiftsea Rider.
The Eagle S was detained in the Gulf of Finland. Prior to this, another incident occurred in the Baltic Sea, where the undersea power cable EstLink 2, connecting Estonia and Finland, was damaged. According to the European Commission, investigators suspect that this damage was caused by Eagle S. it was "an incident (...) in a series of potential attacks on critical infrastructure."
Caravella LLC FZ disputes the detention and has requested the Helsinki court to release the ship. Finnish lawyer Herman Ljungberg, representing the company, described it as "a case of hijacking," according to TVN24, citing Reuters. Ljungberg added that the crew was interrogated without legal assistance. The Finnish police disagree with this statement.
"Shadow fleet" at Putin's service
We have written many times on money.pl about the "shadow fleet" serving the Kremlin. The shadow fleet consists of old tankers operating in the Baltic waters. Registered in many countries, the Kremlin uses these inexpensive tankers to transport Russian oil. These vessels not only help Putin circumvent sanctions but also pose a serious threat to the security of countries around the Baltic Sea.
