EML ''Raju'' (P6732) is a PATROL 45 WP HYBRID-class
patrol vessel
A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and they ...
. Built in 2018 by
Baltic Workboats, it is the first
battery-powered ship in the
Estonian Navy
The Estonian Navy () are the unified naval forces among the Estonian Defence Forces.
With only six commissioned ships and displacement well under 10,000 tonnes, the Estonian navy is one of the smallest navies in the world. Its ship prefix is EM ...
. This is a multi-purpose patrol vessel with anti-pollution capabilities.
History
Transfer to the Estonian Navy
On 3 January 2023, four larger ships of the
Police and Border Guard Board
The Police and Border Guard Board () is a unified national governmental agency within the Estonian Ministry of Interior and is responsible for law enforcement and internal security in the Republic of Estonia.
The main tasks of the agency are to ...
were transferred to the
Estonian Navy
The Estonian Navy () are the unified naval forces among the Estonian Defence Forces.
With only six commissioned ships and displacement well under 10,000 tonnes, the Estonian navy is one of the smallest navies in the world. Its ship prefix is EM ...
as part of the liquidation of the police fleet.
This improved responsiveness in the Estonian maritime area and provided Estonia with a better defense capability.
2025 Baltic Sea tanker confrontation
In May 2025, the head of the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
,
Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; ; born 8 October 1958) is a German politician, serving as president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the Cabinet of Germany, German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding position ...
announced a package of anti-Russian sanctions that included a number of tankers that transport Russian oil under the
flags of convenience
Flag of convenience (FOC) refers to a business practice whereby a ship's owners register a merchant ship in a ship register of a country other than that of the ship's owners, and the ship flies the civil ensign of that country, called the flag ...
.
On May 13 EML ''Raju'', supported by an
Estonian Air Force
The Estonian Air Force (, ) is the aviation branch of the Estonian Defence Forces. The air force traces its history to 1918, and was re-established in its current form in 1991.
As of 2025, the Estonian Air Force has a strength of ~1,600 personn ...
M28 Skytruck aircraft and an
Estonian Border Guard
The Estonian Border Guard () was the national security agency responsible for the border security of Estonia. It was subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. The Border Guard also assisted with Search and Rescue missions. In 2010, the organi ...
AW139 helicopter attempted to intercept the
Indian owned,
Gabonese registered oil tanker ''
Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
''. The ship had been transiting the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
, bound for the Russian port of
Primorsk Primorsk may refer to:
* Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast, a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, formerly Koivisto or Björkö
* Primorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, formerly Fischhausen
* Primorsk, Krasno ...
. Estonian authorities requested to inspect the ship, citing its suspicious flag and insurance documentation, but the crew refused to comply.
After this message, Indian and Russian crew members could be heard on the bridge stating: "We are being met by a helicopter, they are demanding that we drop anchor.".Following this, a
Russian Air Force
The Russian Air Force () is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the latter being formed on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the reb ...
Su-35
The Sukhoi Su-35 (-35; NATO reporting name: Flanker-E/M, occasionally nicknamed "Super Flanker") is the designation for two improved derivatives of the Su-27 air-defence fighter. They are single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable, 4.5 ge ...
scrambled to provide the ship with an escort. As a result of the arrival of the Russian aircraft, plans to board the ship were abandoned.
In an interview with Estonian media, the Chief of the
Estonian Defense Forces Gen. Vahur Karus acknowledged the event, but acknowledged the professionalism of the Russian aircraft.
Afterwards, Estonian sources acknowledged that a
Russian Air Force
The Russian Air Force () is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the latter being formed on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the reb ...
Sukhoi Su-35
The Sukhoi Su-35 (-35; NATO reporting name: Flanker-E/M, occasionally nicknamed "Super Flanker") is the designation for two improved derivatives of the Sukhoi Su-27, Su-27 air-defence fighter. They are single-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, super ...
fighter jet had entered Estonian airspace for a period of two minutes and flown towards the ship in response. As a result, a
Portuguese Air Force
The Portuguese Air Force () is the air force, aerial warfare force of Portugal. Locally it is referred to by the acronym FAP but internationally is often referred to by the acronym PRTAF. It is the youngest of the three branches of the Portuguese ...
F-16 was scrambled from
Ämari Air Base
Ämari Air Base is a military airbase in Harjumaa, Estonia, located south of Lake Klooga and southwest of Tallinn.
The base was opened in 1945.
History
Ämari Air Base was built between 1940–1952 under an agreement signed by the Estonia ...
to conduct reconnaissance on the Russian aircraft. Jaguar continued its transit through the Baltic Sea via
Gogland
Gogland or Hogland (, transliteration from original ; , German: ''Hochland'') is an island in the Gulf of Finland in the eastern Baltic Sea, about 180 km west from Saint Petersburg and 35 km from the coast of Finland (near Kotka) ...
, before arriving at
Primorsk Primorsk may refer to:
* Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast, a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, formerly Koivisto or Björkö
* Primorsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, formerly Fischhausen
* Primorsk, Krasno ...
on the morning of 15 May 2025. The failed interception of the ship raised shortcomings with the operational capability of the
Estonian Navy
The Estonian Navy () are the unified naval forces among the Estonian Defence Forces.
With only six commissioned ships and displacement well under 10,000 tonnes, the Estonian navy is one of the smallest navies in the world. Its ship prefix is EM ...
, with
Jüri Saska stating that the services measures were constrained due to operating in international waters, as well as attempting a boarding action of a large vessel, for which Raju was not suitably equipped for.
See also
*
List of active Estonian Navy ships
This is a list of active Estonian Navy ships. In total there are 8 commissioned ships in the navy. In 2023 four of the larger Police and Border Guard patrol vessels were merged with the Estonian Navy to improve coastal patrol capabilities.
Ships ...
References
External links
PATROL 45 WP HYBRIDPatrull-laevade divisjon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raju
Ships of Estonia