The Swedish Coast Guard on Thursday stated that it boarded a suspected stateless vessel in Swedish waters of the Baltic Sea. This is the second such incident in less than a week, said Swedish Minister for Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin in a post on X, writes UNN.
Details
"Shortly after 8:30 PM on Thursday evening, the Coast Guard boarded a 228-meter tanker near Trelleborg," the Swedish Coast Guard reported.
A preliminary investigation has been launched into alleged violations of maritime law regarding the vessel's unseaworthiness.
"In the evening, the Coast Guard, for the second time this week, boarded a suspected 'shadow fleet' vessel in Swedish territorial waters. The Russian shadow fleet poses a significant threat to security and the environment," Bohlin stated.
The 228-meter tanker "Sea Owl" I was sailing under the flag of the Comoros, and the Coast Guard stated that it suspected "it is sailing under a false flag and that therefore there is no flag state that can vouch for safety on board."
The Swedish Coast Guard indicated that the vessel "Sea Owl I" has transported oil products between Russia and Brazil in recent years. "The tanker arrived from Santos in Brazil with a destination of Primorsk. Reportedly, Sea Owl I is sailing without cargo," the Swedish Coast Guard noted.
The vessel is also on the sanctions lists of several countries, including the EU.
"The threats to maritime safety and the environment are too high," said Daniel Stenling, deputy head of the country's Coast Guard operations department. "Therefore, there are grounds for intervention against the vessel."
Addition
On Friday, March 6, the Coast Guard boarded the vessel "Caffa," sailing under the Guinean flag, near Trelleborg.
Swedish Coast Guard detains suspicious stateless vessel in the Baltic Sea07.03.26, 03:14