Sweden Decides to Confiscate Detained Russian Shadow Fleet Vessel
Sweden has confiscated a cargo ship that, according to authorities, may have belonged to Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" and was used to circumvent international sanctions, writes Euronews.
The Caffa vessel. Photo: vesseltracker.com
The 96-meter ship Caffa was stopped by Swedish authorities off the country's coast in early March. Armed Swedish police officers boarded the vessel. Part of the crew was detained on suspicion of violating maritime law, safety regulations, and using forged documents.
According to the Swedish prosecution, the vessel was heading towards St. Petersburg. It is also noted that it might have been sailing under a false flag and is on Ukraine's sanctions lists.
Swedish authorities claim they received a request for legal assistance from a foreign country, but they do not disclose which one. It was within the framework of this request that the decision was made to confiscate the vessel for further court proceedings and possible transfer to another state.
According to the coast guard, there are suspicions that the vessel may have been used to transport grain considered to have been taken from Ukraine. It is also reported that most of the crew members are Russian citizens.
The materials note that Russia uses a network of old tankers with an opaque ownership structure to circumvent EU, US, and G7 sanctions introduced after the start of the war against Ukraine in 2022.
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