Italian authorities have detained a 27-year-old handysize bulk carrier in the port of Brindisi on suspicion of breaching EU sanctions against Russia, following irregularities linked to a shipment of about 33,000 tonnes of ferrous metals.

The detention was carried out by the Guardia di Finanza in cooperation with customs officials, after inspectors flagged what were described as significant inconsistencies and alleged falsifications in the vessel’s documentation during checks.

AIS data from MarineTraffic shows the vessel’s most recent port call was Novorossiysk, a Russian Black Sea port. The ship has been identified as the Tuvalu-flagged bulk carrier Hizir Reis. Fleet data in Equasis lists the vessel under the Turkish shipping outfit Emiroglu Deniz Nakliyati. It operated under the name Isolda until October 2024, when it then belonged to Polsteam.

Guardia di Finanza said it seized the ship after irregularities were discovered in its records. 

It said: “Subsequent checks… revealed serious inconsistencies, falsifications and alterations to the onboard documentation relating to the locations of stops and loading operations.”