"It was important for us that the vessel and its owner address the deficiencies and that continuing its voyage is safe and secure," said Kristjan Truu, Director of the Maritime Department at the Transport Administration.
During the re-inspection, the results of the audit conducted by the classification society were checked, along with the crew’s preparedness for emergency situations and the correction of technical issues.
The vessel was allowed to depart after the re-inspection results were finalized on board.
The detained ship had been found with 40 deficiencies during an inspection on April 11, 29 of which were grounds for detention. From the total, 23 deficiencies 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 significant issue previously was the unclear situation regarding the ship's flag state. The vessel had declared Djibouti as its flag state, but Djibouti had removed the ship from its registry due to illegal activities. On April 14, Djibouti provided updated information that the vessel would be accepted in its registry until May 7, 2025, and its certificates would be valid until that date. Djibouti also submitted an official confirmation letter to the Estonian Transport Administration.
The Transport Administration will continue inspecting ships operating within Estonia’s exclusive economic zone. Since June of last year, over 450 vessels’ documents have been reviewed, during which various insurance documents have been submitted to the authority. During the inspections, one forgery was discovered, and several other documents suspected of being falsified were submitted for verification to the vessels' flag states. In cooperation with other authorities, the Transport Administration has also inspected seven ships in anchorage areas.
Additional inspections are necessary, as in recent years there has been an increase in the number of vessels transiting the Gulf of Finland, which could pose risks to Estonia’s critical infrastructure, safe navigation, and the marine environment.
