Sweden’s coast guard has intercepted a Guinea-flagged cargo ship that departed from Casablanca and is suspected of belonging to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet used to transport stolen Ukrainian grain, according to several reports.
The vessel, a 96-meter cargo ship named Caffa, left Casablanca on Feb. 24 and was heading toward Saint Petersburg, Russia, when Swedish police boarded it Friday near the southern town of Trelleborg, the reports said.
Authorities said the ship was operating under a false flag and appears on Ukraine’s sanctions list.
“Information indicates that it has essentially been used to transport grain that is stolen, as we understand it, from Ukraine,” Daniel Stenling, acting head of operations at the Swedish coast guard, said during a press conference.
Stenling also said the vessel was falsely registered in Guinea and that most of its 11 crew members are Russian.
The Russian Embassy in Stockholm said it had been informed by the Swedish coast guard that 10 of the crew members are Russian citizens, the outlet Euractiv reported.
“The Russian Embassy in Sweden is in contact with the competent Swedish authorities and is ready, if necessary, to provide consular assistance to the Russian nationals among the crew,” the embassy wrote on Telegram, according to the same source.
Authorities added that one crew member is under investigation for possible violations related to maritime safety and seaworthiness, though officials declined to disclose the person’s identity or role on the ship.
The Swedish Transport Agency is also expected to inspect the vessel to determine whether it is seaworthy and allowed to continue its journey.
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