The private Russian catamaran Centaurus-2 with 15 Russian experts on board sailed into the Estonian port of Narva-Joesuu on June 10, but hours later the vessel was ordered to leave Estonian waters within 24 hours. Border guards said that a private catamaran used as a research vessel is a possible threat to Estonia's national security.
All of the crew members were previously given Estonian visas and the officials knew the experts came to Estonia to take part in the expedition.
Thomson-Kun, who currently resides in Finland, said the vessel is required to provide Estonian, Finnish and Russian divers with a base for diving in the gulf, and particularly near Narva-Joesuu.
Thomson-Kun also heads the Finnish non-profit environmental organization "Sula".
The main goal of the expedition is to examine changes in the Gulf's ecosystem west of the Estonian town of Sillamae, and gather material necessary for developing a unified administration program which would help the Baltic states sustain the Gulf.
The expedition involves volunteer divers and other specialists from Russia, Finland and Estonia. Funded by the Finnish Environmental ministry and the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the expedition is so far a pilot project, but has already received positive reviews from the Helsinki Commission of the Baltic Sea Countries, which deals with regional environmental issues.
Although Thomson-Kun and Centaurus-2 left Estonia on June 11, continuing the expedition as many of the experts stayed in Narva-Joesuu. The results of the expedition will become public at a special forum in Narva-Joesuu on June 17.
Thomson-Kun said that although high-level Estonian officials are hampering the expedition, local municipalities of the northeastern region are very friendly and cooperative. For example, Rein Annik, the mayor of Narva-Joesuu, backed the catamaran's mooring at the port when it arrived.
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