THE TRANSPORT ADMINISTRATION HAS RELEASED THE TANKER KIWALA, AND THE SHIP MAY DEPART ESTONIA

Deficiencies Rectified: Transport Administration Clears Tanker Kiwala to Leave Estonia

The tanker Kiwala, which was detained by the Estonian Navy on April 11th, has had its identified deficiencies rectified and is free to leave Estonia, confirmed Kristjan Truu, Director of the Maritime Service of the Transport Administration, on Saturday.

During a follow-up inspection, the Transport Administration determined that the previously identified deficiencies on the tanker Kiwala had been resolved, leading to the authorization for the tanker to depart Estonian waters. "Technically, the ship is in order and it can leave," said Truu.

The follow-up inspection involved checking the results of the classification society's audit on the ship, the crew's preparedness for emergency situations, and the elimination of technical deficiencies.

The ship is currently still in the anchorage area of Muuga Bay. According to Truu, the final procedures are now being completed, after which the ship can depart. According to the Transport Administration, the ship is now heading to Russia.

During an inspection a couple of weeks ago, the Transport Administration identified 40 deficiencies on the tanker Kiwala, which led to the ship being prohibited from continuing its voyage until the deficiencies were rectified. Of these 40 deficiencies, 29 were significant, which were the reason for the ship's detention. The majority of these, 23, were related to documentation, and the others concerned the implementation of the ship's safety management system, the crew's preparedness for shipboard emergencies, and technical deficiencies.

The Estonian Navy detained the oil tanker Kiwala in the Gulf of Finland on April 11th. According to the Navy, the reason for the detention was not damage to critical infrastructure.

Kiwala entered the Gulf of Finland on April 10th without a valid flag state certificate. The ship presented Djibouti as its flag state, but the former flag state Djibouti had revoked the flag due to illegal activities. In addition, the tanker lacked insurance and had been sanctioned by the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Switzerland for previous illegal activities.

Upon the ship's entry into the Estonian exclusive economic zone, the crew was contacted, and the ship was directed to Estonian territorial waters for inspection. Estonia exercised its right to board and inspect documents.

The tanker was en route from the port of Sikka in India to the port of Ust-Luga in Russia.

The Transport Administration stated on Saturday that it will continue to inspect ships operating in the Estonian exclusive economic zone. Since June of last year, the documents of more than 450 ships have been checked, during which various insurance documents have been submitted to the Transport Administration. During the inspections, one forgery was discovered, and other documents suspected of forgery were submitted, for which confirmation was requested from the ships' flag states.

In addition, the Transport Administration, in cooperation with other authorities, has inspected seven ships in anchorage areas.

Further inspections are necessary because in recent years there has been an increase in the transit of ships passing through the Gulf of Finland, which may pose a threat to Estonia's critical infrastructure, safe navigation, and the marine environment with their activities, the authority noted.