A SHIP banned from Aberdeen's Tall Ship festival over the captain's country of birth has been spotted floating in the Moray Firth.
After sailing more than 1000 nautical miles from France, the historic tall ship TS Shtandart was denied entry to Aberdeen days before the event was to take place.
Captain Vladimir Martus — whose place of birth is listed as Russia, but is Ukrainian by his father and a tax resident of Germany — has led the crew in previous Tall Ships Races.
However, organisers from Sail Training International denied Martus, the crew, and the ship entry.
It has now been spotted near Buckie Harbour, sailing along the Moray coast.
In a statement calling for organisers to rethink their position, the crew said: “Let us be absolutely clear, the TS Shtandart is not a Russian ship.
“The only remaining link to Russia is the country of birth of the ship’s captain — a long-time resident of Germany, a taxpayer there, and someone who left Russia over a decade ago.
“TS Shtandart is registered under the flag of the Cook Islands.
“It is owned by a Finnish citizen, operated by a German company, and run by an international crew.
“It has no ties – direct or indirect – to the Russian Federation.”
Built as a replica of a 1703 frigate, Shtandart was launched 25 years ago. Today, it carries a crew of 22 people from 13 different countries.
The ship left France on June 25 to sail around the North Sea and join the 2025 Tall Ships Races, scheduled to start in [[Aberdeen]] and finish in Norway.
Despite calls for the festival to reconsider its position, organisers maintained their position, citing “rulings and legislation.”
Some of the crew were due to leave the ship in Aberdeen after their training voyage, it is understood, while others planned to join the ship there and continue on to Norway.
