The Finnish Coast Guard carried out a border inspection last week on a cargo vessel arriving from Russia at the Port of HaminaKotka on the southeast coast. Vessels operating from Russia remain under heightened scrutiny due to the current geopolitical situation.
The search revealed no irregularities, and the ship was permitted to continue its journey from the port.
Ilja Iljin, Deputy Commander of the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard, declined to comment in detail on the specific reasons that prompted the inspection.
"Considering the vessel arrived from Russia, that certainly played a role," Iljin said.
Russian-flagged ships prohibited
The cargo ship was not sailing under the Russian flag. Vessels registered in Russia are currently barred from entering EU ports under international sanctions.
Iljin did not specify the vessel's flag country or the nature of its cargo.
The Finnish Coast Guard does not inspect every cargo ship entering the country's ports, but conducts checks based on case-by-case risk assessments.
Inspections are carried out both randomly and when there is reason to suspect a potential border security threat.
Focus on crew, not cargo
During border inspections, Coast Guard officers board the vessel to assess matters related primarily to the individuals on board. Customs officials, in contrast, are responsible for inspecting the ship's cargo.
According to Iljin, such inspections take place approximately once a week across the Coast Guard's operational area.
"Kotka is a major port, so this was not the first border inspection conducted there this year," he noted.
Despite sanctions, Russian fertilisers not subject to trade restrictions continue to pass through the Port of HaminaKotka.
These goods arrive via freight trains from Russia through the still-operational Vainikkala border crossing and are loaded onto ships in Kotka for export.
Last month the Finnish Coast Guard said that it noticed that more ships plying the Gulf of Finland are concealing their locations, likely related to circumvention of sanctions on Russia.
Also in March, Finland released a ship suspected of damaging critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea last December, the Eagle S.