What happened
A cargo ship, Västerbotten, was detained by Russia's border guard in the Gulf of Finland. The ship, sailing under the Cypriot flag, was headed for the port of Sillamäe in Estonia. Although ships have the right to transit through Russian territorial waters, the vessel was held for several hours.
The Police and Border Guard Board confirmed the detention, and according to the Vesselfinder application, the ship was anchored in Russian waters before being released. The ship's trajectory showed that it had passed through Russian territorial waters, which is permitted under an agreement between Russia, Estonia, and Finland.
This incident is not the first of its kind, as a similar detention occurred in 2025 when Russia held the oil tanker Green Admire, which had departed from the port of Sillamäe. As a result, the Estonian Transport Administration decided to direct ships to and from Sillamäe through Estonia's territorial sea to avoid similar situations.
The head of the Transport Administration's vessel traffic management department, Are Piel, stated that while the situation was unpleasant, it is not unusual for countries to exercise control over ships in their territorial sea. Piel noted that peaceful passage through a state's territorial sea is permitted, but this does not mean the state does not have the right to inspect the ship.
The Estonian Transport Administration has not received an explanation from the Russian side as to why the ship was detained. The ship was eventually released and arrived at the Sillamäe port on Friday morning.
