The vessel, identified as the Khatanga, has remained at the port for over seven years. “It could be a ticking chemical bomb, yet regulations prevent any inspection of what lies beneath its deck,” a source told Radio ZET.
Poland’s Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW) and the Internal Security Agency (ABW) are looking into the circumstances surrounding the tanker, which required towing services twice in recent weeks after slipping from its berth. The ship was originally detained in 2017 for failing a technical inspection, and its owner later declared bankruptcy.
The case has renewed concerns over the so-called “shadow fleet” of aging Russian tankers, which some analysts say Moscow uses not only to circumvent sanctions and transport oil but also for possible sabotage operations. In December, a separate Russian-linked ship was suspected of damaging an undersea cable connecting Estonia and Finland, according to local reports.
(jh)
Source: Radio ZET, Polskie Radio 24