Swedish authorities have detained another crew member from tanker Sea Owl I as an investigation into suspected falsified vessel documents continues.
The tanker was first stopped by Swedish authorities on 12 March near Trelleborg after it was suspected of sailing under a false Comorian flag while passing through Swedish waters. The vessel was subsequently detained and remains under a navigation ban.
At the time, the ship’s captain was arrested as part of the initial investigation but was later released.
Afterward, a new captain reportedly took command of the vessel and submitted new registration documents to Swedish authorities in an attempt to reflag the tanker from Comoros to Cameroon so the ship could leave Sweden.
However, Swedish authorities later said they received confirmation from Cameroon that the registration documents were fraudulent.
Following that discovery, prosecutors opened a new preliminary investigation. Swedish Coast Guard officers, supported by regional police units, carried out additional searches and investigative measures onboard the tanker.
A second crew member – reported by several media outlets to be the new captain – was then arrested on suspicion of using false documents.
MV Sea Owl I is a 228-meter oil products tanker built in 2007. The vessel is included on EU sanctions lists and has been linked to the transport of Russian oil cargoes. At the time of its detention, the tanker was reportedly sailing from Santos, Brazil, to Primorsk without cargo onboard.
The case is part of increasing European scrutiny of vessels suspected of operating within Russia-linked shadow fleet networks, particularly ships using questionable flag registrations and opaque ownership structures to continue trading under sanctions restrictions.
