Russian tanker detained by Finns had spy equipment on board, – media

However, that was in the summer. It is not known whether such equipment was on board the vessel this time.

The tanker Eagle S from the Russian “shadow fleet”, detained by the Finnish Coast Guard in the summer, had special equipment on board that turned it into a “spy ship”, the Lloyd’s List publication reports , citing its own sources.

A source who provided commercial marine services to the vessel seven months ago told the publication that at least during the summer, the Eagle S carried high-tech equipment that was “not normal for a commercial vessel” and consumed so much electricity from the ship’s generator that it caused periodic blackouts on the tanker.

Sources claim that similar spy equipment was also installed on another tanker in the Russian shadow fleet, the Swiftsea Rider.

Both tankers were purchased by the Russians in 2022-23 through a complex system of shell companies and intermediaries to circumvent oil sanctions. Moreover, both vessels are leased to Eiger Shipping, which is the transport division of the Russian oil trader Litasco.

In support of his words, the interlocutor provided the publication with documents, in particular a report on the inspection of the technical condition of the vessels. The publication recognized the documents as authentic, although it did not disclose who exactly was its source for this information.

At the time the interlocutor worked with the vessel, in addition to the spy equipment, there was “an unauthorized person who was not a sailor” on board the Eagle S. The equipment itself was delivered to the ship in huge boxes along with “many laptops” that had keyboards for Turkish and Russian.

According to the source, the equipment was installed on the ship’s bridge – the highest place on the ship. The transmitters and receivers were used to record all radio frequencies, and after the ship arrived in Russia, they were unloaded for analysis and were allegedly never returned to the tanker.

“They were monitoring all the ships and aircraft of the NATO Navy. They were controlled by Russian, Turkish, and Indian radio operators,” the source told the publication.

The Eagle S also dropped “sensor-type devices” into the English Channel while passing between the coasts of England and France, the source said.

The Eagle S crew must have known about its spy mission “because it was impossible to hide,” but they “were threatened with their lives, so everyone kept quiet,” the source said.

(C)UNIAN 2024