Eagle S is a crude oil and oil products tanker that sails under the flag of the Cook Islands.[3] The ship is operated by Caravella LLC-FZ, a company registered in the United Arab Emirates;[4] she comprises its entire fleet.[5] It was originally built in China for the Singapore company FR8 Holdings PTE Ltd in 2006, which operated it under the name FR8 Pride.[6] Later the ship has also served under the names LR Mimosa and Norstar Intrepid.
Description
Eagle S is a crude oil and oil products tanker with a deadweight tonnage of 74,035 tonnes (72,866 long tons) and 12 cargo tanks that have a combined volumetric capacity of 81,320 cubic metres (511,500 bbl) at 98% filling. The ship is 228.6 metres (750 ft 0 in) long, 32.3 metres (106 ft 0 in) wide, and has a displacement of 89,381 tonnes (87,969 long tons) when loaded to the maximum draught of 14.5 metres (47 ft 7 in). The ship has a crew of 24.[2]
Like most oil tankers, Eagle S is powered by a single low-speed two-stroke crossheaddiesel engine driving a fixed pitch propeller. The ship's five-cylinderMAN-B&W 5S60MC-C main engine, manufactured by Hudong Heavy Machinery under license, is rated at 11,300 kilowatts (15,200 hp) when running at 105 rpm. This propulsion system gives Eagle S a maximum speed of 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph). When running at a service speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), the ship burns 35 tonnes (39 short tons) of fuel oil per day. In addition, the ship has three 900-kilowatt (1,200 hp) auxiliary diesel generators to produce electrical power.[2]
The ship was built at New Century Shipyard in Jingjiang, China. It was laid down on 20 December 2004, launched on 28 August 2005, and delivered on 16 March 2006.[2]
Incidents
2012 collision
On 2 May 2012, FR8 Pride collided with the mobile drill rig Rowan EXL I in the Aransas Pass after the tanker's engine had failed. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board estimated the resulting damage to be 16–17 million US dollars.[7]
2014 oil spill
On 25 September 2014, the tanker, now under the name LR Mimosa and operated under charter by the Panamax International Shipping Corporation,[8] cut connections to a monobuoy terminal in Quintero Bay off Chile, causing an oil spill.[9] An estimated 39 metric tons (38 long tons; 43 short tons) of crude oil entered Quintero Bay during the incident.[8]
In late 2023, Eagle S was inspected at the Port of Tema in Ghana, two month after having been sold to Caravella LLC-FZ in the UAE. Survey inspectors listed 24 defects and shortcomings which led to the ships temporary detention. The vessel had to pass reinspection before a classification certificate could be issued.[10]
Early in the morning of 25 December 2024, Eagle S, now under management of the Peninsular Maritime India company and with an Indian safety management certificate from September 2024, left the Russian port of Ust-Luga with a load of unleaded gasoline, which was, according to press research, destined for Aliağa, Turkey. The captain was a 39-year-old Georgian national, who had joined the crew in October.[11] At 10:26 GMT (12:26 Finland time), she crossed the Estlink 2 submarine cable beneath the Gulf of Finland. At the same time, the Finnish electricity transmission grid operator, Fingrid, reported a power outage on the cable.[4]
Early the next morning, the ship, which is believed to be part of the Russian shadow fleet,[12] was boarded by Finnish police and border guards who took control of the vessel. She was then escorted to Porkkalanniemi where she was found to be missing her anchor.[13] On 28 December, Eagle S was moved to a position off Porvoo near Helsinki to help with the investigation.[14]
Investigators checking in the Indian Register of Shipping found no valid insurance for the ship at the time of the incident, with the last policy (with Ingosstrakh) having expired in August 2024.[15] Based on an anonymous source, Lloyd's List reported that Eagle S was carrying additional electronic surveillance equipment to record information on NATO ships and that an individual, who was not a seafarer, had been identified on board.[16] The ship was not on the list of 79 vessels sanctioned by the European Union at the time.[17]
By 29 December, Finnish investigators had documented the drag line on the seabed over "several tens of kilometers", but had to postpone the investigation due to bad weather. At this stage they had not been able to locate the anchor missing from Eagle S.[18]
On 30 December, an application was filed to the Helsinki District Court [fi], in which the UAE-based shipping company of the Eagle S, Caravella,[19] seeks to overturn the seizure by the Finnish authorities.[20] Maritime attorney Herman Ljungberg,[21] representing the entire crew of the ship, strongly criticised the actions of the authorities to Helsingin Sanomat based on his conversation with the ship's captain. Ljungberg claims, that according to the captain, the situation is stressful and the crew is starving. He said that the crew has been interrogated without legal assistance, kept hungry and in one room, and not allowed to sleep.[22] The allegations have been denied by the police.[23] The Helsinki District Court rejected the application on 3 January 2025.[24]
On 31 December, out of a complement of 24 seamen,[25] seven crewmembers, suspected of criminal activities, were forbidden to leave the country. Additionally, the police published pictures of the ship's hull below the water line, showing chipped paint and bare metal. The damage is suspected to have been caused by the ship's own anchor chain.[26] The number of crewmembers restricted by a travel ban was increased to eight by 2 January 2025.[27]
In addition to the criminal case and port inspection detaining her, Fingrid has initiated civil litigation for the cost of the submarine power cable repair.[20] On 2 January, the company requested the seizure of Eagle S to secure its claims.[27]
