Police in Sweden have seized a false-flagged cargo ship off its southern coast believed to belong to Russia’s shadow fleet and suspected of transporting stolen Ukrainian grain, authorities said on Saturday.
The 96m Caffa left Casablanca in Morocco on Feb. 24 and was headed for Saint Petersburg, Russia, when armed Swedish police on Friday boarded it off the southern town of Trelleborg.
“The vessel is on the Ukraine sanctions list. Information indicates that it has essentially been used to transport grain that is stolen, as we understand it, from Ukraine,” Swedish Coast Guard Acting Head of Operations Daniel Stenling told a news conference.
Photo: Swedish Coast Guard via AP
“We have been able to establish that the vessel is sailing under a false flag. She is registered in Guinea, but that registration is in fact false,” he said.
The Russian embassy in Stockholm said it had been informed by the Swedish coast guard that 10 of the 11-person crew were Russian citizens.
It wrote on Telegram that it was in contact with Swedish authorities to “provide consular assistance to the Russian nationals among the crew.”
One crew member was under investigation for contravening the maritime code on seaworthiness and on ship safety, Stenling said, refusing to disclose the suspect’s identity or crew role.
“The investigative measures we have taken so far reinforce our suspicions and our view that there are extensive maritime safety deficiencies on this vessel,” he said.
The Swedish Transport Agency was to inspect the ship and determine whether it was seaworthy and authorized to continue its journey.
Moscow’s “shadow fleet” consists of vessels with opaque ownership used to skirt Western sanctions.
“It’s a problem for us that we are seeing more ships that don’t respect the law of the sea,” Stenling said, adding that “the risk of accidents increases when ships are not certified.”
“We might not even know what kind of crew is on board, what kind of skills they have, what certifications they hold, and they often lack insurance if something were to happen,” he said.
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha on Saturday thanked Sweden.
“Collective action against such vessels is gaining momentum. This is a welcome development,” he wrote on X. “Sanctions work when they are strictly enforced. Together, we must stop the activities of Russia’s shadow fleet to protect Europe’s security and environment.”
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