The Swedish Coast Guard boarded the tanker Sea Owl off Trelleborg on Thursday evening, March 13, and the cargo vessel Caffa on Friday, March 6, initiating preliminary investigations for suspected violations of maritime law. These investigations focus on deficient seaworthiness and use of false documents. Sweden's Minister for Civil Defense, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, confirmed the Sea Owl operation on X, noting it is suspected of being stateless and involved in transporting oil or liquid fuels. The Coast Guard states that the threats to maritime safety and the environment are too high, justifying intervention against these vessels.
Sea Owl is a 228-meter-long tanker built in 2007, flies the Comorian flag, and is on the EU sanctions list. Caffa is a 96-meter-long cargo vessel, sails under the Guinean flag, and is on Ukraine's sanctions list. The Coast Guard suspects Sea Owl is sailing under a false flag, meaning it is not properly registered in Comoros. The captain of Sea Owl is a Russian citizen and is suspected of use of false documents and other maritime violations.
One crew member from Caffa has been detained and brought ashore for suspected crimes. Two crew members from Flora 1 have been served suspicion of crime but are not detained. The crew of Caffa is predominantly Russian. The Coast Guard detected an oil spill over 12 kilometers long east of Gotland on Thursday morning and identified Flora 1 as a suspected source. Flora 1 is a tanker on the EU sanctions list, loaded with oil, with 24 crew members on board. The Coast Guard currently sees no imminent risk of the oil spill reaching land.
The times we live in place high demands on decisiveness and bold action, which Swedish authorities have once again demonstrated.
The Transport Agency has issued a use prohibition for Caffa due to serious deficiencies, preventing it from continuing its journey. Sea Owl will be inspected by the Transport Agency to assess the condition of tanks and navigation equipment. Many shadow fleet ships are in poor condition and pose an environmental threat. Around 25 ships from the Russian shadow fleet traffic the Baltic Sea daily.
Caffa is suspected of transporting grain that had been stolen from Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation. Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin confirmed the Sea Owl operation, and the Coast Guard justifies interventions by citing excessive risks to safety and the environment. Greenpeace tracked Sea Owl and alerted the Maritime Administration and Coast Guard, but the Coast Guard states the alert did not affect the operation as they already had full control. The Russian embassy is following developments regarding the boarded vessels off Trelleborg.
Russia views the boardings as piracy and has increased naval escorts for shadow fleet ships. The crew of Caffa is predominantly Russian. Specific deficiencies in seaworthiness found on Sea Owl and Caffa remain unknown, as authorities have not disclosed detailed inspection results. The exact ownership structure of Sea Owl, Caffa, and Flora 1 is also unclear.
The current status of the oil spill east of Gotland is uncertain, and whether Flora 1 will face any penalties remains undetermined. How Russia will respond diplomatically or militarily to these boardings is another unknown. The total number of shadow fleet ships currently operating in the Baltic Sea and how many are under investigation is not publicly confirmed.