The Finnish Coastguard has increased its preparations for an environmental incident after reports of a Russia-bound vessel suffering engine failure and data showing shadow fleet tankers slow steaming in traffic lanes.
The coastguard said it received information that the Panama-flagged 50,548-dwt Jazz (built 2008) was drifting on the evening of 29 December due to engine failure.
The vessel has anchored, according to the coastguard, and repairs to the engine are being carried out.
Authorities have been in contact with the vessel, which is in ballast and en route to Primorsk.
They opted to act in accordance with Finland’s laws and assigned a tug and a patrol vessel to stand by the tanker.
Finland does not believe the incident is linked to ongoing infrastructure sabotage in the region, and no cables were at risk when the Jazz anchored.
The breakdown comes as bad weather in the Gulf of Finland has led to vessels in the Ust-Luga anchorage seemingly raising their anchors and sailing around the traffic separation zones in international waters.
TradeWinds has identified at least four tankers that have begun sailing up and down, or in two cases erratically around, an area that separates Finnish and Estonian territorial waters.
Two are sanctioned vessels, part of the so-called shadow fleet.
Data from Sea.Life shows both vessels spending the best part of the past month avoiding anchorages and sailing in the international waters separating Finland and Estonia. Both made short port calls in Ust-Luga before returning to the same area.
These are the 114,880-dwt Line and the 115, 583-dwt Life (both built 2005).
The Finnish government has raised the alarm over the number of dark fleet tankers that sail in and out of Russia through the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea.
The Baltic Sea is seen as a sensitive area and Finland is alarmed by the number of older tankers with dubious insurance certificates.
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb posted on social media after the latest cable sabotage that he and other Baltic Sea states, along with Nato, would be increasing their military presence in the area.
“This includes measures agreed with Nato, the EU and our partners, such as inspections of the insurance certificates of vessels,” he said.
“We are also looking at ways, based on international maritime law, to respond more effectively to similar incidents in the future,” he added.
