About 40 violations have been detected on the Kiwala oil tanker detained in the Gulf of Finland, inspectors of the Estonian Transport Board said.
“All day yesterday (11 April – ed.) inspectors of the Department of Transport checked the vessel and recorded a number of serious violations, because of which we cannot allow the vessel to continue its movement – neither safety of navigation nor environmental safety is ensured,” said Kristjan Truu, director of the maritime service of the Department of Transport.
The department said that 29 of the 40 violations identified were “serious” and were the reason for the vessel’s detention. It is known that 23 of the violations were related to documentation, while the rest were related to the navigation safety system, crew emergency training, and technical faults.
“One of the serious problems is also the suspicion that the vessel does not have a national flag, which means that it is not subject to the jurisdiction of any country. Estonia, within the framework of its rights and international obligations, conducted an inspection of the flagless vessel. We are in constant contact with the vessel’s representative,” Truu explained.
Now the tanker is in the port of Muuga under the protection of the Navy.
The Estonian Transport Department specified that after the elimination of documentary and technical violations they will issue a permit to continue the vessel’s movement.
The oil tanker Kiwala was detained by Estonian authorities in the Gulf of Finland on the morning of 11 April, Estonian Navy Commander Ivo Werk said. He told the press that the detention of the vessel was for the purpose of checking documents and was not related to the investigation of damage to critical infrastructure in the Gulf of Finland.