Yesterday morning, Sweden has captured its third Russian shadow fleet vessel this year. Previously this year, Sweden seized the Sea Owl I and the grain-carrier Caffa, which passed outside the city of Trelleborg in the Baltic Sea. The vessel captured yesterday, is the Flora 1 (IMO 9307815) and was seized outside the coastal town of Ystad, following a reported oil spill in the Baltic Sea.
France and the UK have committed themselves to step-up their efforts against the Russian shadow fleet with France also increasingly seizing Russian tankers. Meanwhile, Malta is pressing the European Council to keep the Russian shadow fleet away from European shores, including by controlling the entry of vessels at the Strait of Gibraltar. Malta’s request comes after a Russian shadow fleet tanker was bombed outside its shores, prompting security and environmental concerns.
The Swedish press have quoted the Swedish Deputy-Chief of the Coast Guard, Daniel Stenling, saying that the ship is suspected of criminal activity and of pertaining to the Russian shadow fleet apart from being suspected to have been the source of an oil spill.
Newsroom
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