STOCKHOLM — A Swedish court on Sunday ordered the continued detention of the Russian captain of the tanker Sea Owl 1, which was boarded by Swedish authorities last week amid suspicions of operating under a false flag. The captain, whose identity has not been publicly released, was initially arrested on Friday, a day after the Swedish Coast Guard intercepted the vessel off the coast of Trelleborg, in southern Sweden.
Prosecutors allege the captain used a false document, and the Ystad district court subsequently ruled to hold him in custody pending further investigation, according to Swedish news agency TT.
The Sea Owl 1 was flying the flag of the Comoros, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. However, the Swedish Coast Guard has expressed concerns that the vessel is not legitimately registered there, meaning there is no flag state to verify safety standards onboard. The tanker is also listed on the European Union’s sanctions list, and authorities determined it had recently traveled from Brazil to Russia, a route previously used for oil shipments between the two countries. While the vessel did not appear to be carrying cargo at the time of boarding on Thursday, its recent history has raised red flags.
This incident marks the second investigation within a week involving vessels in Swedish waters suspected of using false flags. The cargo ship Caffa, crewed primarily by Russian nationals, is currently under scrutiny for allegedly transporting stolen grain from Ukraine while being subject to EU sanctions. The captain of the Caffa has also been detained on suspicion of document fraud.
Sweden has increased scrutiny of foreign vessels, particularly regarding insurance checks, in an effort to tighten controls over what it describes as Russia’s “shadow fleet.” This fleet consists of older ships often used to circumvent sanctions by transporting oil and gas, or illicitly traded goods like Ukrainian grain, according to Swedish officials. The increased vigilance comes after Sweden last year announced plans to bolster these checks.
