The Estonian navy detained and boarded a Russia-bound oil tanker on an EU sanctions list on Friday, accusing it of sailing illegally without a valid country flag.

In a major step for maritime security, the Estonian Navy recently stopped and detained a Russian-linked oil tanker in the Gulf of Finland. This is the first time Estonia has taken such action against a vessel connected to what is known as Russia’s “shadow fleet.

The Estonian Navy detained the tanker Kivala in its territorial waters in the Baltic Sea. The tanker was sailing without a flag, likely as part of the Russian "shadow fleet." On Friday morning, the Estonian Navy conducted an operation to detain the tanker Kivala in the Baltic Sea.