German special forces inspect Estonian-run ship over espionage fears

German special forces boarded and searched a cargo ship in the Kiel Canal Sunday, on suspicion of espionage, Der Spiegel reported.

The vessel is operated by an Estonian shipping company, according to German media.

Authorities in the northern states of Schleswig-Holstein and Niedersachsen searched the cargo ship, the Scanlark, operated by the Tallinn-based Vista Shipping Agency, while it was moored at the Kiel-Holtenau lock at the eastern end of the canal, which links the North Sea to the Baltic Sea.

Investigators suspect a drone had on August 26 been launched from Scanlark to recce and photograph a nearby warship, an act German authorities see as a threat to the country's critical maritime infrastructure.

"The inspection of a suspicious cargo ship in Germany's Baltic Sea region is a strong signal and underlines the ability of our rule of law to act," Schleswig-Holstein's interior minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack (CDU) said.

The German media has linked similar incidents to broader hybrid threats including suspected Russian sabotage in the Baltic region.

Ahead of the Scanlark arriving from Rotterdam en route to Finland, via the Kiel Canal, a canal webcam had reportedly been disabled; a police rigid inflatable patrolled the vessel throughout the inspection, Der Spiegel reported.

Crew members were barred from leaving the freighter during the action, while divers were deployed to inspect its hull.

The Scanlark has sailed under the name since 2009 and has been registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since 2006.

536 suspicious drone flights were recorded near strategic infrastructure sites in Germany in the first three months of this year alone.