Lost anchor
The Coast Guard Center observed unusual sailing behavior from a Liberian ship. The ship then remained stationary in the anchorage off the coast of Scheveningen. The boarding team, consisting of the Maritime Police, Customs, and Royal Marechaussee, decided to conduct an inspection due to the unusual behavior. The ship was anchored to install a new anchor because the other anchor had been lost en route. The captain stated the ship was traveling from Estonia to Rotterdam. However, verification in the Coast Guard systems indicated a different port of departure, namely Russian Kaliningrad. The Maritime Police Team of the National Expertise & Operations (LX) subsequently launched an investigation.
Investigation of documents and cargo
The investigation lasted several days. During this time, the ship remained stationary. The official ship documents were checked: Estonia was also listed as the port of departure. According to the documents, the ship was loaded with soybean oil. Customs thoroughly searched the ship and took samples of the cargo. On the orders of the public prosecutor, the captain was arrested as a suspect for forgery. During his interrogation, the man admitted he had indeed lied about the port of departure. He hoped to evade possible European sanctions against Russia this way. The captain of the Liberian ship had picked up cargo in Russia with the intention of shipping it to another country (outside Europe). During this long journey, the ship had to refuel in Rotterdam.
The samples showed that the ship was indeed loaded with soybean oil, not sanctioned goods. After the investigation, the captain was released after two nights in jail. The man received a fine of €4000 for forgery.
Vigilant on sailing movements
At the end of 2025, the European Union imposed new sanctions against Russia. These sanctions mainly target the Russian shadow fleet, oil tankers attempting to evade sanctions. The Coast Guard is, partly due to these sanctions, vigilant about sailing movements and other waterborne anomalies.