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Swedish Coast Guard Seizes Suspected Stateless Sea Owl I Vessel in Baltic Sea
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The Swedish Coast Guard has taken control of a suspected stateless vessel in Swedish waters of the Baltic Sea, marking the second such incident in less than a week, according to Reuters on March 13.
The 228-meter-long tanker, Sea Owl I, was flying the Comorian flag but is suspected of sailing under a false flag.
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The ship is also listed on the sanctions list of several countries, including the European Union, as reported by Reuters.
Sweden's Minister for Civil Defense, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, confirmed the operation on X.
Bohlin noted that the Sea Owl I is suspected of being stateless and is involved in transporting oil or other liquid fuels. He also emphasized that the operation was carried out with the assistance of the national task force and in cooperation with the relevant authorities.
“The times we live in place high demands on decisiveness and bold action, which Swedish authorities have once again demonstrated,” he said.
On March 6, Swedish authorities intercepted and detained the cargo vessel Caffa in the Baltic Sea, suspecting it of transporting grain that had been stolen from Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation.
According to Göteborgs-Posten, the operation took place near the southern Swedish city of Trelleborg and was carried out by Swedish police special forces, aviation units, and the national coast guard in a coordinated effort.
Members of the elite police unit boarded the vessel as part of an operation named “Svart kaffe.”
The Caffa had previously been included on Ukraine's sanctions list, with Ukrainian intelligence linking the ship to the transportation of agricultural goods loaded in the Russian-occupied port of Sevastopol in July 2025, according to the report.
Days later, it was reported that Swedish authorities are currently seeking the commander of the Russian cargo ship Caffa, which was boarded near Trelleborg. The commander is wanted for arrest on charges of using forged documents, a serious crime.
“The individual is suspected of presenting and referring to multiple suspicious counterfeit maritime certificates during the coast guard's inspection of the vessel,” the prosecutor said in an earlier press release.
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