Swedish authorities have launched an investigation into the Russian captain of a stateless vessel in the Baltic Sea, following a coastguard operation that saw the ship boarded and taken control of. This marks the second such incident in Swedish waters within a week.
The captain, a Russian national, is under suspicion for the use of false documents, serious crimes, and violations of Sweden‘s maritime act, according to the prosecution authority.
Senior prosecutor Adrien Combier-Hogg stated: “What we are doing now is, among other things, to continue with the search on board, conduct interrogations and investigate suspected false documents.” He confirmed that no detentions have been made in connection with the case so far.
The 228-meter-long tanker, named Sea Owl I, was reportedly flying the Comorian flag, though the coastguard suspects it was operating under a false flag. The vessel is also listed on the sanctions lists of several nations, including the European Union.
“The threats to maritime safety and the environment are too high,” Daniel Stenling, deputy chief of operations at the coastguard, said on Thursday. “Therefore, there is reason to intervene against the vessel.”
Sweden’s minister for civil defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, said in a post on X that the ship was suspected of belonging to the Russian shadow fleet.
The boarding took place off the coast of the southern Swedish town of Trelleborg.
The Russian embassy in Stockholm did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters via phone and email. Russia has called seizure of its vessels an act of piracy.
Last Friday, the Swedish coastguard boarded the ship Caffa, which was sailing under a Guinean flag, also near Trelleborg.