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Sweden Detains Sanctioned Tanker After Oil Spill in Baltic Sea Near Gotland
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On the morning of April 3, the Swedish Coast Guard reported the detention of a vessel suspected of causing an oil spill in the Baltic Sea. The tanker was ordered to anchor in Swedish territorial waters as part of an ongoing investigation.
According to the agency, an aerial surveillance aircraft detected an oil spill east of the island of Gotland.
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“At that time, the spill extended for more than 12 kilometers. The vessel Flora 1 was identified at an early stage as being of interest to the investigation. The ship is now anchored south of Ystad. The operation is being carried out in cooperation with the Swedish police,” the Coast Guard said.
During the investigation into a suspected environmental crime, authorities determined that the vessel is listed under European Union sanctions. Officials also noted “several unclear circumstances surrounding it, including the status of its flag.”
The Coast Guard added that the tanker had departed from a port in the Gulf of Finland and was en route to Santos, Brazil. Authorities are continuing to assess whether there are grounds for additional suspicions beyond the oil spill.
“We act when we detect discharges. This is the result of our increased maritime surveillance, which we are conducting due to the deteriorating security situation in the Baltic Sea region,” said Daniel Stenling, Deputy Head of Operations at the Swedish Coast Guard.
While the Coast Guard did not directly link the vessel to Russia, Sweden’s Minister for Civil Defense, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, commented on the broader risks associated with Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
“The Russian shadow fleet, which consists of older, inadequately insured tankers that circumvent sanctions, poses a significant security and environmental threat,” he said. “The government views the incident with grave concern, even though this time it is not a matter of a large-scale oil spill. According to information from the Coast Guard, the assessment is that the spill amounts to somewhere between 1.7 and 18 cubic meters. A more extensive spill could have had devastating consequences for marine ecosystems and Swedish coasts.”
The latest incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of maritime activity in the Baltic Sea. Earlier, the Swedish Coast Guard had already intervened in a separate case, taking control of a vessel suspected of operating without a legitimate national registration. The operation involved the 228-meter tanker Sea Owl I, which was sailing under the Comorian flag but is believed to have been using it improperly.
The vessel, which is also listed under sanctions by several countries, including the European Union, is suspected of transporting oil or other liquid fuels. Sweden’s Minister for Civil Defense, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, confirmed the operation, noting that the tanker is considered potentially stateless. He added that the intervention was carried out with the support of a national task force and in coordination with relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, has announced that the country plans to join the agreement to establish a Special Tribunal to examine Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine.
She noted that the decision represents further progress toward creating the tribunal, with Sweden expected to take part as one of its founding members.
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