Three tugboats at once provided the wiring of a tanker with Estonian oil from the easternmost port of the country past the territorial waters of Russia, which is considered a traditional safe route. The ships went the most dangerous way — through the shallows. Tallinn announced a change in routes after Russian border guards detained a previous tanker that was exporting shale oil from Estonia for inspection.
On June 4, the Seaways Sabine tanker loaded with shale oil in Estonia's easternmost port of Sillamae and left it, indicating the Skagen transit point. According to AIS vessels, for the first time the tanker bypassed the territorial waters of Russia, choosing the most dangerous route — through the shallows.
Three tugs — Finnish Ajax and Estonian Pallas and Helios - provided the ship's wiring. It is obvious that their help could be needed by a 274-meter tanker, whose draft increased to 10.4 meters due to a batch of oil. Perhaps the vessel is only half full, since its full draft is 17 meters.
Whether this is due to the shoals or not is unknown. On the evening of June 4, the tanker was approaching the international transport corridor in neutral waters, and the tugs went to their destinations — Helsinki and Muuga.
Obviously, in such a more expensive and dangerous way they plan to withdraw all large vessels from the port of Sillamae.
It is known that Seaways Sabine became the first tanker to arrive at the easternmost Estonian port of Sillamae after the detention of Green Admiral and did it in a new roundabout way.
The tankers are exporting Estonian shale oil from Sillamae, and Tallinn stated that after the detention of the Green Admire tanker in Russian waters, the vessels will enter the port and leave, bypassing the territorial waters of Russia.
"Our pilots will now take vessels out of Sillamae through the territorial waters of Estonia. Yes, for large vessels it is a little more difficult and dangerous because of the shoals, but we will cope," Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhkna said in an interview with the "Actual Camera".
On May 18, Russia detained the Green Admire tanker, which was transporting shale oil to Rotterdam and entering the main transport route in the Gulf of Finland, traditionally through Russian territorial waters.
On the evening of May 19, the Green Admire tanker was released from Russia, and in The Estonian Navy said that the ship itself created the reason for the detention.
"The Russians warned the tanker several times about entering the danger zone and ordered it to change course. It is unclear whether the reason for the incident was the language barrier, the unwillingness of the tanker to take a longer route, or the fact that the warnings of the Russian authorities simply were not heeded. It is known that the ship was in technically sound condition when it was shipped," ERR wrote with reference to the Estonian Navy.