Photo: Reuters
On Sept. 23, at least three vessels with ties to Russia were spotted near Copenhagen at the same time the city’s airport suspended operations due to a drone threat, a report by the Danish outlet TV2 notes. Police have not ruled out the possibility that the drones were launched from passing ships.
Cargo ship Astrol 1, Russia
One of the first ships to come under scrutiny was the Russian-flagged cargo vessel Astrol 1, which is already under U.S. sanctions.
According to Starboard tracking data reviewed by The Insider, the vessel entered the Kattegat Strait north of Copenhagen on Sept. 21, making several unusual zigzag maneuvers before sailing into the Øresund Strait near the Danish capital the next morning. It crossed the strait in five hours and continued into the Baltic Sea.
Astrol 1 departed Arkhangelsk on Sept. 12 and is scheduled to arrive in St. Petersburg on Sept. 26.
Cargo ship Oslo Carrier 3, Norway
TV2 also highlighted the Norwegian bulk carrier Oslo Carrier 3. The vessel briefly paused at the entrance to the Kattegat on the evening of Sept. 21, resuming its journey at around 8 a.m. the next day. Unlike Astrol 1, it sailed a straight course. Oslo Carrier 3 entered the Øresund Strait roughly five hours after Astrol 1 and, like the Russian ship, took approximately five hours to pass through.
TV2 correspondent Peter Møller reported that the crew of Oslo Carrier 3 included sailors with Russian passports, which was confirmed by its owner, Oslo Bulk. The company denied drones were on board.
Both Astrol 1 and Oslo Carrier 3 passed close to Copenhagen Airport, located on Amager Island. The Russian vessel passed around 3 p.m., and the Norwegian ship around 8-9 p.m.
Flightradar24 data show that air traffic was halted between 8:26 p.m. and midnight local time, forcing flights to divert to alternate airports.
The Norwegian ship was previously mentioned in media reports following the December 2023 sinking of the Russian cargo vessel Ursa Major in the Mediterranean. At the time, Russian officials accused Norway of refusing to rescue the Russian crew, but Norwegian authorities said they had acted under maritime rescue orders. The Ursa Major was reportedly carrying reactor hatches for the nuclear icebreaker Lider, and also parts for port cranes.
Tanker Pushpa, Benin
A third vessel that raised suspicions was the oil tanker Pushpa, sailing under the flag of Benin. Both TV2 and open source intelligence (OSINT) analyst “auonsson” noted its movements.
The tanker, also known as the Kiwala, is under Western sanctions. In April, Estonian authorities seized the vessel when it was purporting to sail under the Djibouti flag; however, the ship lacked valid registration. It later reappeared with a new name and flag. Starboard data reviewed by The Insider showed that the vessel was listed as the Boracay. Frequent changes in registration and name are commonplace in Russia’s “shadow fleet,” as they obscure the ship’s true owners and complicate tracking.
On its current journey, Pushpa departed from Primorsk, Russia, bound for India. Unlike the two previous ships, it came from the Baltic Sea. The Pushpa appeared off Denmark’s coast around 9 p.m. on Sept. 22, some 70-80 kilometers from Copenhagen Airport. The tanker did not enter the Øresund Strait but instead circled the island of Zealand from the west.