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Ship met by customs, police and Coastguard after arrival in Finland
The 'Scanlark' was located approximately three kilometers from the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant on the afternoon of Oct 6 one month after being raided off Kiel. The ship, being linked to the Russian shadow fleet, has docked off Euraåminne, only about three kilometers from the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. The ship was met by Customs, the Border Guard and the police. Later on the day, the ship was seen moving further out of the port, The 'Scanlark' belongs to the Estonian Vista Agency Shipping company, the crew is mainly Russian. The ship was suspected to have acted as a mother ship for drones. A drone from the ship is said to have taken pictures above a German military ship in August. In the raid, the authorities also found radio equipment that is considered atypical for cargo ships. The ship left the port again on Oct 6 at 3.40 p.m. UTC and berthed in Miiduranna near Tallinn on Oct 8 at 1.40 p.m. Report with photo: https://www.dn.se/varlden/misstankt-spionfartyg-nara-karnkraftverk-i-finland/
Scanlark has arrived in port of destination weeks late
When the ' Scanlark' was searched thoroughly after being raided in Kiel, the investigators found nothing sufficient enough to issue arrest warrants for the six sailors on board. They were allowed to return to the ship after questioning. However, the analysis of the equipment seized during the search is still ongoing. There was, however, no longer a ban on leaving port.The ship left Kiel on Oct 1 enroute to Eurajoki, where it arrived on Oct 6. The Flensburg Public Prosecutor's Office continued its investigation but had not ordered the seizure of the ship in thie regard. The German Transport Employers' Association also subjected the "Scanlark" to a port state inspection. According to the report, the inspectors found 14 deficiencies. Among other things, the fire extinguishing equipment, crew quarters, lifesaving equipment, and watertight doors were in poor condition. However, according to the report, these deficiencies were not sufficient to prohibit sailing. The "Scanlark's" cargo hold contained approximately 1,500 tons of pig iron from Rotterdam for a steel mill in Finland. The six crew members were cared for onboard in Kiel through donations and the Seamen's Mission duriong the stay in Kiel. The onboard carers regularly visited the crew on board and provided them with the essentials," reports Jochen Hinz, Chairman of the German Seamen's Mission Association in Kiel. Five of the six seafarers are from Russia. One is from Ukraine. They had to remain on board at the berth in the North Port of Kiel the entire time. The berth was located within the security area of the Voith Quay. The Federal Police was visiting the "Scanlark" as part of their regular patrols and assessing the situation. No applications for entry or passes for the crew to go ashore have been submitted. The ship's crew was not allowed to disembark. At one point, there was a risk that the shipping company could withdraw due to insolvency. Then the ship could have remained at the berth a long time. In the event of insolvency, the ship and its cargo would have been eventually auctioned off. The process is time-consuming and takes time.
State Security Department not only investigating crimes but also working on potential threat prevention
According to the Flensburg Public Prosecutor's Office, the investigating authorities were currently working intensively on the 'Scanlark' case. The State Security Department of the State Criminal Police Office was not only investigating which crimes may have already been committed, but officers were also working on potential threat prevention, which means that the State Security Department of the State Criminal Police Office was not only investigating whether a drone was actually launched from the freighter. Officers were also monitoring the ship to ensure that something similar cannot happen again. It was still unclear when the ship will be able to continue its voyage. Rhe State Criminal Police Office announced that: an "investigation has been initiated on suspicion of spying for the purposes of sabotage. Furthermore, the investigation concerns images of military installations that pose a security risk – such as photos – as well as preventing threats to Germany's critical maritime infrastructure." Due to the complexity of this case, no further information on the investigation was provided, according to the public prosecutor's office. The case was also expected to be discussed in the Interior and Legal Affairs Committee of the Schleswig-Holstein State Parliament in Octobe. The "Scanlark" arrived in Kiel from the North Sea. It had already come to the attention of the authorities months ago. Among other things, the ship was said to have deviated from its planned course. Furthermore, the freighter had been under the authorities' scrutiny for years: The recent case also has a Dutch component because the 'Scanlark' was in Rotterdam in the days before the police operation in Kiel. Between Sep 2 and 5, the ship was moored in the Waalhaven and Botlek harbors. It is unknown what the ship was doing there, but the Port Authority observed no suspicious movements during those three days. The 'Scanlark' remained stationary at the Voith Quay in Kiel as of Oct 1.
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