Since January 19, Estonia has barred ships traveling to or from Russia from entering its territorial waters to obtain certain services. But businesses that service vessels say the restrictions have also limited work at anchorage areas for other ships.

That means both businesses and the state are losing revenue as vessels end up seeking services elsewhere.

One affected service is underwater inspections carried out while ships are anchored. Kaido Peremees, head of diving services company Tuukritööde OÜ, said Estonia has not allowed such work at its anchorages for the past couple of months.

"There have been quite a few cases where a ship suspecting propeller damage caused by ice has come in to have it inspected and possibly repaired," Peremees said. "We've turned them away."

Those vessels then turn to other ports in the region such as Ventspils and Gdansk, or head to the Danish Straits, he added, where such work remains in full swing.

Estonia's Ministry of Defense said the measure is meant to complicate logistics for vessels serving Russian ports in the Gulf of Finland and to curb the so-called shadow fleet that is helping sustain the Russian war machine.

But Peremees argued that many of the ships affected have no connection to sanctions against Russia.

"We're talking about vessels mostly owned by EU companies here, certainly not under any sort of sanctions," he said, adding that the cargo these ships are carrying likewise isn't sanctioned.

In one case, a ship arriving from Finland entered Estonia's roadstead to replenish supplies but was denied service, Peremees recalled.

The vessel, which he said was denied on grounds of failing to meet its own duty to stock up sufficiently, returned to Finland, where it was allowed to resupply.

The Defense Ministry did not clarify whether the restrictions apply to ships from other countries as well.

Researcher: These services are nothing new

Jaak Viilipus, a doctoral researcher at the Estonian Maritime Academy, said providing services at anchorage areas is a common maritime export business and has brought revenue to Estonia for decades.

"This is purely an economic loss for Estonia," Viilipus said, noting that local businesses are losing income and the wider economy is also missing out as a result. Such services, he argued, should be allowed but clearly regulated.

Viilipus said activities at anchorage areas fall under the State Borders Act. While it falls under the Ministry of the Interior administratively, enforcement is carried out by the Estonian Navy, which absorbed the former Border Guard fleet and took over its duties in 2023.

He said the Interior Ministry, Defense Ministry and, to an extent, the Climate Ministry, which now oversees the country's maritime sector, should jointly establish clearer rules.

Peremees warned that failing to support the sector could undermine Estonia's position in the sector more broadly.

"If we keep going like this, our maritime state risks being relegated to songs and museums," he said.

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