Estonian navy intercepts Russian "shadow fleet" tanker
Early on Friday morning, the Estonian Navy intercepted the tanker Kiwala, which is part of Russia's "shadow fleet." These ships enable Russia to circumvent sanctions imposed by the West due to the military invasion of Ukraine carried out by Vladimir Putin's forces in 2022.
On Friday morning, the Estonian Navy detained the tanker Kiwala, which is part of Russia's "shadow fleet." This information was provided by the Estonian broadcaster ERR. The ship, flying no flag, entered Estonia's territorial waters at 3:19 AM Greenwich Mean Time.
The Commander of the Estonian Naval Forces, Commander Ivo Vaark, noted that the current investigation does not indicate a threat to critical infrastructure.
There are 24 crew members on board the tanker, and the vessel is currently anchored near Aegna Island, about 14 km (9 miles) north of Tallinn. Kiwala was headed to Ust-Luga in the Russian Leningrad region, roughly 110 km (68 miles) from St. Petersburg.
Russian "shadow fleet"
According to ERR, the captain of Kiwala is a Chinese citizen. Estonian authorities are currently checking the technical condition of the ship and the crew's documents.
Information from the Ukrainian portal WarSanctions reveals that Kiwala is part of the "shadow fleet"—tankers registered under foreign flags that allow the export of Russian oil products to third countries despite US sanctions.
The owners and operators of Kiwala frequently change to conceal connections with Russia and the true beneficiaries. Recently, the ship was sailing under the flag of Djibouti.
Methods of bypassing sanctions
To circumvent international sanctions that impose a price cap on Russian oil exports, Russia utilises over 600 ships, sailing under the flags of third countries.
In January 2025, former U.S. President Joe Biden imposed sanctions that heavily impacted the "shadow fleet," among others. The cost of transporting oil using it immediately tripled, as reported by Bloomberg agency.
Over 60 per cent of Russia's oil exports in 2024 were conducted through the so-called shadow fleet maritime transport. Russia thus achieved over £69 billion (rounded from 80 billion euros), according to the main directorate of Ukraine's intelligence (GUR) at the local Ministry of Defence in March.
