Listening equipment was placed on Eagle S and related tanker Swiftsea Rider to monitor Nato naval and aircraft activities.
Russia-linkex dark fleet* tanker Eagle S (IMO: 9329760), seized by Finland on December 25 for damaging an undersea cable, had transmitting and receiving devices installed that effectively allowed it to become a “spy ship” for Russia, Lloyd’s List has learnt.
The hi-tech equipment on board was abnormal for a merchant ship and consumed more power from the ship’s generator, leading to repeated blackouts, a source familiar with the vessel who provided commercial maritime services to it as recently as seven months ago.
[…]
As well as Eagle S, another related tanker from the same ownership cluster, UK-sanctioned Swiftsea Rider (IMO: 9318539), also had similar equipment installed, Lloyd’s List was told.
Cook Islands-flagged Eagle S and Honduras-flagged Swiftsea Rider are two of 26 elderly Russia-linked tankers with opaque ownership structures connected to three related shipmanagers, including two sanctioned by the UK government 12 months ago for “propping up Putin’s war machine”.
[…]
Eagle S was boarded by Finnish forces investigating sabotage of the Estlink 2 undersea cable that disrupted the supply of electricity to Estonia from Finland.
The tanker slowed and dragged its anchor around the cable around midday, December 25, Finland’s police said. Another three cables were also damaged.
[…]
The equipment was kept on the bridge or in the “monkey island”, they said. The monkey island is the top-most place on the ship.
The transmitting and receiving devices were used to record all radio frequencies, and upon reaching Russia were offloaded for analysis.
“They were monitoring all Nato naval ships and aircraft,” Lloyd’s List was told.
“They had all details on them. They were just matching their frequencies.
“Russians, Turkish, Indian radio officers were operating it.”
An armada of aging oil tankers is helping to keep Russian oil flowing. Hundreds of vessels are part of a “shadow fleet” that’s allowed the Kremlin to dodge Western sanctions over its war on Ukraine. Bloomberg set out to uncover the traders, intermediaries and investors that make up this network, and how they’re getting rich in the process.
Finland’s PM Petteri Orpo (NCP) has called for firmer measures to combat the risks associated with the so-called shadow fleet of Russia, [saying he] had discussions about the issue with his counterparts from Denmark, Estonia, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the European Commission.
[Finnish] President Alexander Stubb, meanwhile, has been in contact with Nato.
It’s registered in the Cook Islands. Not that that matters, because flags of convenience make registration functionally meaningless most of the time with modern shipping
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There’s a brief documentary on the Shadow Fleet Fueling Russia’s War (24 min)
Invidious link Original YT link
Addition:
Finnish PM calls for tougher measures against Russia’s shadow fleet
Isn’t Eagle S registered in the Emirates 🤔
Another tardigrada propaganda special.
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:712379/mmsi:518998865/imo:9329760/vessel:EAGLE_S
It’s registered in the Cook Islands. Not that that matters, because flags of convenience make registration functionally meaningless most of the time with modern shipping
So what’s your alternative hypothesis?
Lloyd’s List is owned by tardigrada now?
Shocked Pikachu face.