There is no basis for a criminal investigation into the crew of the tanker "Eagle S" in connection with the shipment of Russian oil. This was stated by the Finnish customs service on Thursday, writes Reuters.
The ship is suspected of damaging several cables in the Baltic Sea. In December, Finnish police boarded the ship and had the crew sail it into Finnish waters. The ship is believed to be part of the Russian shadow fleet, which is circumventing Western sanctions against Russia's lucrative oil exports.
Several countries in the Baltic Sea region have recently said that the shadow fleet should be cracked down harder. For now, however, there will be no criminal consequences for the crew of the "Eagle S".
The customs service has seized the oil. On Thursday, the Finnish authority reiterated that the ship's cargo consists of products that are subject to sanctions. But the ship is only in Finnish waters because the crew was asked to sail there by the authorities. Therefore, they have not deliberately acted in violation of the sanctions, the customs service says in a press release.
- The ship's cargo will continue to be seized by Finnish customs, it continues.
Ship in the spotlight after cable break
In parallel with the case about the Russian oil, the Finnish authorities have been investigating the cable breaks. It is not clear what consequences there may be for the crew in that case. "Eagle S" is registered in the Cook Islands, but is considered to be under Russian control.
It is difficult for authorities in countries such as Denmark and Finland to do anything about the shadow fleet because the ships sail in international waters on their way through the Baltic Sea. Different laws apply here.
The owner of the tanker has tried to have it handed over, but Finland has refused, and the ship is still in Finnish waters east of Helsinki. Finland has banned several crew members from leaving.
"Eagle S" sailed from the Russian city of St. Petersburg on the night of December 25. On the same day, an electrical cable and several data cables running in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia were damaged.
/ritzau/
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