Eagle S detention: Espionage charge stirs international tension
The Finns have detained the tanker Eagle S, which belongs to Russia's "shadow fleet." Now, the owner of the vessel, Caravella LLC FZ, based in the United Arab Emirates, is demanding the return of the "hijacked ship."
The British newspaper "Lloyd's List" revealed a few days ago that the ship detained by the Finns was carrying espionage equipment, including "large suitcases" and laptops with keyboards in Russian and Turkish languages. The equipment was intended to monitor NATO maritime and aerial traffic. Similar devices were to be placed on another tanker, Swiftsea Rider.
The Eagle S was detained in the Gulf of Finland. Previously, there was another incident in the Baltic Sea, where an underwater EstLink 2 power cable connecting Estonia and Finland was damaged. Investigators suspect the damage was caused using the Eagle S. According to the European Commission, it was an "incident (...) from a series of potential attacks on critical infrastructure."
Caravella LLC FZ disagrees, demanding the release of the ship and has filed a lawsuit in a Helsinki court regarding this matter. Finn Herman Ljungberg, the company's lawyer, assessed that it was "a case of hijacking," as reported by TVN24, citing Reuters. Ljungberg added that the ship's crew was interrogated without legal assistance. The Finnish police do not agree with this statement.
"Shadow fleet" at Putin's service
We have written many times on money.pl about the "shadow fleet" at the Kremlin's service. The shadow fleet consists of old tankers navigating the Baltic waters. These tankers, registered in multiple countries, are used by the Kremlin to transport Russian oil. These vessels not only help Putin circumvent sanctions but also pose a serious threat to the security of the Baltic countries.
