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Agents from the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard have been checking the interior of the 'Baltic Summer' and also some containers that were unloaded but without finding drugs in the port of Vigo, where it has been docked since Jan 21. The 'Baltic Summer', managed by a German shipping company and loaded with refrigerated containers, was boarded on the high seas and escorted by members of the Civil Guard with the support of the Navy to the port of Vigo to undergo an inspection on suspicion that it was transporting a drug shipment. The ship was en route from Puerto Bolívar to St. Petersburg. The 23 crew members, of Russian and Belarusian nationality, have been arrested, but it was expected that they would be released in the next few hours.

On Jan 21, the 'Sparta II' has entered the military unit of the port of Tartus, where the Russian group of troops were waiting for evacuation. It was deemed likely that the ship will retrieve part of the Russian military equipment and machinery gathered in Tartus from across the country. The 'Sparta II' broke from its drift and headed toward the portat approximately 6 p.m. (GMT +3), arriving in Tartus at 8:35 p.m. From Jan 5-8, the ship had been circling approximately five nautical milesoff the coast of Tartus. On Jan 8, reports confirmed that the new Syrian authorities had begun patrolling the waters in the area. Around the same time, the 'Sparta II' moved to a distance of 15.6 nautical miles, just beyond the 12-nautical-mile limit of Syria’s territorial waters. The vessel then shifted closer to the shore once again. The vessel was an active part of the so-called “Syrian Express” and transported weapons to Syria and since 2022 back. The owner is the Russian company Oboronlogistika. In particular, in Aug 2022, the transportation of S-300 air defense systems from Syria to the port of Novorossiysk was recorded. On Dec 13, 2024, the 'Sparta II' left the Russian naval base in Baltiysk. On Jan 6, 2025, it was spotted in the Mediterranean Sea in the Tunisian EEZ, and on Jan 8, the ship had arrived off the Syrian coast. On Dec 24, 2024, the 'Ursa Major', another Russian ship participating in the “Syrian Express,” sank off the coast of Spain after an engine room explosion in international waters in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea, between the city of Aguillas and the city of Oran. Other Russian vessels off the Syrian coast included the frigate 'Admiral Gorshkov' as well as the landing ships 'Ivan Gren' and 'Alexander Otrakovsky'. On Jan. 6 the Russian landing ship 'Admiral Grigorovich was positioned about five miles from the port of Tartus.

The 'Yantar' has been located while operating near the British coast, once again raising concerns about potential threats to key cables. The ship, which was being closely monitored by NATO assets, had briefly activated its AIS on the night of Jan 21, revealing its location. The ship’s activities are also believed to be coordinated with other naval assets, such as an oiler and a frigate, previously seen accompanying the vessel. The fregate "HMS Somerset" escorted the spy ship out of the territorial waters on Jan 22. The presence of the 'Yantar' and its potential implications for regional security continue to be a matter of interest. The vessel has been observed close to important undersea telecommunications routes and infrastructure, sparking concerns among NATO and other nations about its possible intentions. The 'Yantar' has made headlines for its presence in key regions. In 2015, it was spotted off the coast of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and later in Norwegian waters. In the following years, it appeared near Greenland, Israel, and Cyprus, locations that were coinciding with sensitive undersea cables or military recovery missions. More recently, the 'Yantar' has been reported off the Brazilian coast, in the English Channel, and near Ireland, often closely following submarine cables and sometimes operating without activated identification systems. Its presence in the North Atlantic, especially close to critical transatlantic cables, has led to increased monitoring by NATO countries. In 2023, the Norwegian Coast Guard documented an incident where the 'Yantar' had shadowed the research vessel 'Kronprins Haakon' for over 16 hours, mirroring its movements in what Norwegian officials called harassment, though Yantar adhered to international maritime law. Report with photo: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/01/22/uk-minister-warns-putin-as-royal-navy-tracks-russian-spy-ship-a87705

The Civil Guard continued its search of the ‘Baltic Summer’on Jan 22, which was boarded on the high seas and docked on the afternoon of Jan 21 in Vigo on suspicion of carrying a drug shipment. Its captain is of Russian nationality and most of its crew is also Russian or Belarusian. The sub-delegate of the Government in Pontevedra, Abel Losada, explained that the ‘Baltic Summer’ arrived escorted by the Civil Guard and the Navy, after being boarded in an operation led by the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Benemérita. Nine people were arrested in recent weeks for their alleged connection to the more than a thousand kilos of cocaine seized in a container that was travelling on the Cyprus flagged m/v ‘Cape Citius’, also coming from Ecuador. At the beginning of Dec 2024, another 500 kilos of cocaine were located in a container on the 'Izmir Express', after it had arrived at the port of Vigo, which were added to another 23 kilos located by the captain himself a couple of weeks earlier. The ship came from Cartagena de Indias. Report with photo: https://metropolitano.gal/extra/continua-el-registro-del-barco-atracado-en-vigo-con-bandera-de-bahamas-y-tripulacion-rusa/

On Jan 13, 2025, the 'Flying Spur' was detained in Kalymnos with ten deficiencies, six of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Certificate & Doc - Cargo Ship Safety Equipment (incl exemption) Not properly filled 2) Labour conditions - Wages No records 3) Safety of navigation - Charts Missing 4) Safety of navigation - Nautical publications Missing 5) Fire safety - Remote Means of control (Machinery spaces) Inoperative 6) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on Jan 22 and left the port en route to Canakkale. The last detention had been on Sep 14, 2024, in the port of Novorossiysk with14 deficiencies. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591