The tanker that the Estonian authorities tried to seize on its way to Russia, calmly passed back with a cargo of oil through the Gulf of Finland. However, under a new name. There is a group of Swedish ships in the Gulf of Finland, but it did not touch the ship.
On May 25, the Jaguar tanker left the Primorsk oil terminal and by the morning of May 26 passed the Gulf of Finland. This is indicated by AIS data. The 244-meter tanker can hold up to 105 thousand tons of oil, it goes with a maximum draft and at a speed of 12 knots. The place of arrival is indicated by the Suez Canal, which is a transit point on the way to Asia.
Jaguar became known on May 14, when the Estonian Navy tried to detain the ship during its journey to the Russian port through the Gulf of Finland. Then a video appeared on the network from aboard the tanker, as boats and a helicopter circled around the vessel, and the crew was asked to change course by radio.
Specialized military telegram channels reported that the AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter, the M28 Skytruck aircraft and the EML Raju patrol boat participated in the operation. However, the appearance of the Russian Su-35 fighter in the sky confused all plans.
"We had a question about the ship's flag, and the most important task was to ensure the safety of critical infrastructure. We have completed this task. Taking into account the principle of proportionality, we — together with the Police and Border Guard Department, the Transport Department and The Naval Forces have come to the conclusion that in this case, boarding a vessel for the sake of checking one document is not a proportionate measure," Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur explained the refusal of the Estonian Navy to further seize the tanker in an interview with the Actual Camera (ETV).
According to AIS data, this time the tanker crossed the Gulf of Finland without delay. The vessel also passed by a group of three ships of the Swedish Navy, which are located in the area opposite Tallinn, where the Estonian military tried to force the tanker to change course last time.
The data of the automatic identification system says that Jaguar could have passed the Gulf of Finland already under a different name. Separate navigation portals indicate the vessel as Blint, and Equasis data indicate that since February 1, the vessel has been named Argent.
As EADaily reported, a whole epic unfolded in the Gulf of Finland with tankers that transport Russian oil. Part of the countries The EU has created a coalition that is trying to fight Russia's oil revenues by putting pressure on the shadow fleet. They call vessels with sanctioned oil older than 15 years with unknown owners.
In April, the Estonian Navy forced the Kiwala tanker to change course, which was detained in its territorial waters. He is under EU sanctions. The Estonian Navy stated that the vessel may not have insurance and registration. By the end of April, all the requirements for the elimination of technical deficiencies had been fulfilled on board the tanker, and the Estonian side could not find any other claims. Therefore, the ship was forced to let go.
After the attempt to seize the Jaguar tanker, Russian border guards detained the Green Admire tanker, which was exporting shale oil from the country's easternmost port, Sillamae, and was passing through the territorial waters of Russia. Estonian politicians also perceived this incident as Russia's response to the aggressive actions of Tallinn, while the Estonian Navy stated that the tanker did not respond to messages from the Russian side to bypass the closed zones, which is why the vessel was detained. Formally, the lion's share of tankers that carry Russian oil has nothing to do with Russia, nor to domestic companies.