Swedish coast guard seizes suspected false flag tanker in Baltic Sea

Coast Guard says ship, with unclear destination with no cargo and on EU and UK sanctions lists

The Swedish Coast Guard said on Sunday it had seized a tanker in the Baltic Sea ​believed to be part of Russia's shadow fleet, the ‌latest in a string of similar actions carried out in recent months by the country's authorities.

The Swedish Coast Guard said in a ​statement that it and police had boarded the Syrian-flagged ​Jin Hui in Swedish territorial waters south of ⁠Trelleborg and begun a preliminary investigation into a lack ​of seaworthiness.

"The coast guard suspects that the ship is sailing ​under a false flag, given there are a number of irregularities concerning its flag status, and therefore does not meet demands for ​seaworthiness as set out in international regulations and agreements," ​it said.

The coast guard said the ship, whose destination was unclear and ‌was ⁠thought to be carrying no cargo, figured on several sanctions lists, including those of the European Union and Britain.

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Kustbevakningen har i dag bordat ytterligare ett fartyg som misstänks ingå i den ryska skuggflottan.

Fartyget heter Jin Hui och misstänks för att segla under falsk flagg. Det finns frågor kring bristande sjöduglighet och avsaknad av försäkringar. Jin Hui står på EU:s,… pic.twitter.com/e9h8ApwBpB

— Carl-Oskar Bohlin (@CarlOskar) May 3, 2026

Swedish Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, said separately on X ​that the ​vessel was suspected ⁠of belonging to the Russian so-called shadow fleet.

European nations have stepped up efforts to ​disrupt the so-called shadow fleet of tankers ​used by ⁠Moscow to fund its four-year war against Ukraine. Russia has condemned such moves as hostile.

So far this year, Sweden has stopped five vessels ⁠on ​suspicion of various offences, including oil ​spills and sailing under a false flag, and opened criminal proceedings against ​some crew members.