Russia Detains German Company’s Cargo Ship En Route to Estonia

On October 1, Russian border guards detained the Cyprus-flagged cargo ship Västerbotten in the Gulf of Finland while it was en route to the Estonian port of Sillamäe.

ERR reported this, citing the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, which confirmed the detention.

The vessel was sailing from the Swedish port of Mönsterås to Estonia. Västerbotten is operated by the German shipping company Navalis Shipping.

Before the detention, the vessel entered Russian territorial waters. It was anchored for inspection and checks, which lasted several hours.

According to VesselFinder data cited by ERR, Västerbotten resumed its voyage to Sillamäe at around 5 p.m. As of the morning of October 2, the vessel was already in the Estonian port.

The Estonian Transport Administration has not received an explanation from the Russian side for the detention.

Estonia, Finland, and Russia have an agreement allowing vessels to use this part of the Gulf of Finland. For large vessels, this route is safer than navigating between shoals in Estonian waters.

The head of the Vessel Traffic Management Department at the Estonian Transport Administration described the situation as unpleasant but not unusual. According to him, vessels have the right to innocent passage through another state’s territorial sea, but this does not preclude checks by that state’s authorities.

Russia previously temporarily restricted passage through this area, but the restrictions were later lifted. Piel noted that vessels bound for Sillamäe try to avoid Russian territorial waters due to the risk of similar inspections.

Following the incident, the Estonian Transport Administration decided to route vessels to and from Sillamäe through Estonian territorial waters to avoid similar situations.

Russia has previously detained vessels on this route. As Militarnyi reported, in May 2025, Russian border guards stopped the tanker Green Admire, which had departed from Sillamäe carrying shale oil to Rotterdam. The vessel, operated by Greek company Aegean Shipping, was sailing through Russian territorial waters along an agreed route.

In addition, on August 12, 2026, Vladimir Putin threatened to seize Western commercial vessels in response to the detention of Russian vessels. However, the Russian side has not explained the reasons for the detention of Västerbotten, so a link between the incident and Putin’s threats has not been confirmed.