A Swedish court has ordered the detention of the captain of the tanker Sea Owl 1 after authorities boarded the EU-sanctioned vessel in the Baltic Sea near Trelleborg.
The 55-year-old master of the Comoros-flagged tanker was remanded in custody during a hearing at the Ystad district court on March 15. Prosecutors charged him with using forged documentation under aggravated circumstances and operating a vessel considered unfit for navigation.
The 228-metre tanker was intercepted and boarded last week by the Swedish Coast Guard while sailing in the Baltic Sea. Authorities said the vessel, which is listed under sanctions by the European Union and the United Kingdom, was traveling from Santos in Brazil to Primorsk in Russia.
Investigators reported inconsistencies in the ship’s claimed registry under the Comoros flag and said documents presented on board are suspected to be falsified.
The incident marks the second time in recent weeks that Swedish authorities have taken action against a vessel suspected of operating as part of the so-called shadow fleet used to transport sanctioned cargoes. Earlier, Sweden seized the cargo ship Caffa under similar suspicions.
European countries have recently intensified efforts to track and detain vessels believed to be involved in sanctions evasion linked to Russian oil shipments.
