Sweden detains suspected Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker after oil spill in the Baltic Sea
Kyiv • UNN
The Coast Guard detained a Russian shadow fleet vessel near the island of Gotland. An environmental crime investigation has been launched due to an oil spill.
The Swedish Coast Guard on Friday reported the detention of an oil tanker in the Baltic Sea, which is believed to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" and is likely the source of an oil spill 12 km off the island of Gotland, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
Details
In recent months, the Swedish Coast Guard has intensified efforts to detain vessels linked to Russia. The tanker "Flora 1" was seized off the southern coast of Sweden, the report says.
According to MarineTraffic, the tanker "Flora 1" departed from the Russian port of Primorsk, with an unknown destination.
According to the Coast Guard, the oil spill is not expected to reach the shore.
The statement said that an investigation into the alleged environmental crime has been launched. It is reported that, as far as is known, the vessel is on the EU sanctions list, while its flag status remains unclear.
"Russia's shadow fleet, consisting of old, poorly insured tankers that circumvent sanctions, poses a significant threat to security and the environment," said Swedish Minister for Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin on X, mentioning the tanker "Flora 1" in his comments.
"The government takes the incident seriously, even though this time it is not a major oil spill," he noted.
Addition
European countries, the publication writes, have intensified efforts to stop the activities of the so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers used by Moscow to finance Russia's war against Ukraine.