“Throughout yesterday, inspectors from the Transport Administration carried out an extended inspection of the vessel and identified several significant deficiencies. We cannot allow the vessel to continue its voyage, as maritime and environmental safety cannot be guaranteed,” said Kristjan Truu, Director of the Maritime Department at the Transport Administration.
Out of the 40 deficiencies, 29 were significant and constituted the basis for detaining the vessel. The majority of these — 23 in total — were related to documentation, while the remaining deficiencies concerned the implementation of the ship’s safety management system, crew preparedness for various shipboard emergencies, and technical issues.
“One major concern is the suspicion that the vessel has no flag state, meaning it does not fall under the jurisdiction of any national legislation. Estonia exercised its rights and international obligations to inspect a stateless vessel,” Truu explained. “We are in constant contact with the shipowner’s representative and are hopeful for a swift resolution.”
The vessel is currently anchored in Muuga Bay and is under surveillance by the Estonian Navy. Once both documentation and technical issues are resolved, the Transport Administration will grant permission for the vessel to resume its journey following a reinspection.
The oil tanker Kiwala entered the Gulf of Finland on 10 April without a valid flag state certificate. The vessel claimed Djibouti as its flag state, but Djibouti had withdrawn the flag due to previous illegal activities. Furthermore, the tanker lacked insurance and is subject to sanctions by the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland for prior illicit conduct. Upon entering Estonia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, contact was made with the crew and the ship was directed into Estonian territorial waters for inspection. Estonia exercised its right to board and verify documentation.
In the past year, there has been an increase in the transit of vessels lacking required documentation through the Gulf of Finland, posing risks to Estonia’s critical infrastructure, safe navigation, and the environment.
Since June, the Transport Administration has inspected the documents of 458 vessels. During these inspections, a variety of insurance documents have been submitted to the authority. One forgery has been identified, and additional documents suspected of being falsified have been sent to the relevant flag states for verification. In cooperation with other authorities, the Transport Administration has also conducted inspections of seven vessels in anchor areas.
