Finnish authorities have revealed what the ship, en route from St. Petersburg, was carrying.

The cargo ship Fitburg, which was detained by Finnish authorities on New Year's Eve, was carrying structural steel of "Russian origin," Euractiv reports, citing a statement from Finnish Customs .

According to customs experts, this cargo may fall under EU sanctions against Russia, as the import of such goods into the EU is prohibited. The cargo remains under customs control. The agency is continuing its investigation to determine whether EU sanctions apply to this specific case.

The European Union banned the import of steel and iron products from Russia back in March 2022. The ban also applies to products re-exported from Russia.

The Fitburg, sailing under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was stopped on December 31 after the operator Elisa reported a cable damage in Estonia's exclusive economic zone that morning. Shortly thereafter, the Finnish Border Guard discovered the Fitburg in its exclusive economic zone, with its anchor chain lowered into the water. In a joint operation involving a helicopter and a border guard ship, the Fitburg was intercepted in Finnish territorial waters and escorted to the port of Kantvik, west of Helsinki.

According to the MarineTraffic ship tracking service, the vessel was en route from St. Petersburg to Israel. Euractiv reports that there were 14 crew members on board at the time of the detention—from Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. All were questioned by Finnish police; two were later detained, and two more were barred from leaving the country. The Russian embassy in Helsinki reported that it had received notification of the vessel's detention, but had not yet received any complaints from the sailors.

Read pionerprodukt .by on Telegram .