The Swedish Coast Guard announced on Sunday, May 3, the detention of a Syrian-flagged tanker in the Baltic Sea, believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
The move is the latest in a series of similar measures carried out by Swedish authorities in recent months.
In a statement, the Swedish Coast Guard said its personnel, in cooperation with the police, boarded the Syrian-flagged vessel “Jin Hui” in Swedish territorial waters south of Trelleborg and opened a preliminary investigation into suspected unseaworthiness.
The statement added that the Coast Guard suspects the ship is sailing under a false flag, due to several irregularities related to its flag status. As a result, it does not meet seaworthiness requirements under international regulations and agreements.
The Coast Guard said the ship, whose destination remains unclear and which is believed to be carrying no cargo, is listed on several sanctions lists, including those of the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Swedish Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin said on X that the vessel is suspected of being part of what is known as Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
Sweden Arrests Chinese Captain of Suspected Russia-Linked Tanker
Senior Swedish prosecutor Adrien Combier-Hogg said on Monday, May 4, that a Chinese captain who was commanding a detained oil tanker suspected of links to Russia had been arrested on charges of using forged documents and violating seaworthiness regulations.
Combier-Hogg said in a statement that the captain, whose name has not yet been disclosed, will be questioned on Monday.
Russia has not yet commented on the measure, but it has previously condemned the interception of its vessels, describing it as a “hostile act.”
What Is the Shadow Fleet?
The term “shadow fleet” refers to a network of aging commercial vessels and oil tankers operating outside international legal and regulatory frameworks to achieve economic, political, and military objectives in ways that circumvent international sanctions.
These ships are often not officially registered, or are registered in countries known for offering “flags of convenience,” meaning the registration of a commercial ship in a country other than that of its owners, allowing them to avoid strict oversight.
Such vessels rely on evasive tactics, including changing identities, using shell companies, and disabling tracking systems to avoid detection of their routes.
The “shadow fleet” poses a threat to maritime navigation security, given the age of some of its vessels and their lack of regular maintenance, which increases the risk of environmental and maritime accidents in ports and international waters.
Western sanctions on countries such as Russia, Iran, and Venezuela are considered a key driver behind the use of these fleets to bypass trade restrictions imposed on them.
European countries have recently escalated efforts to disrupt what is described as Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers, amid accusations that Moscow uses them to finance its war against Ukraine, which has continued for more than four years.
The Russian Foreign Ministry previously said that the EU’s so-called “shadow fleet” is an invented concept and that this category of ships “does not exist.”
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, previously described EU countries’ measures to forcibly stop civilian vessels under the pretext of combating the “shadow fleet” as a “flagrant violation of freedom of navigation.”
Negotiations to Release Syrian Sailors Kidnapped off Somalia’s Coast
On April 26, the cargo ship “SWARD,” carrying 16 Syrian sailors, was hijacked by armed pirates near the Somali coast, in an incident described as “reflecting rising security risks in maritime corridors off the Horn of Africa.”
According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) at the time, the ship was seized and forced to change course toward Somali territorial waters, while its crew, most of whom are Syrian sailors, remains detained.
The families of the detained sailors appealed to Syrian authorities to conduct urgent negotiations to secure the release of the detained personnel and ensure their safety.
Reports said that nearly ten armed men attacked the vessel using three fast boats, or skiffs. They forcibly boarded the ship, then took control of the bridge and engine room before redirecting it toward the Somali coast.
Captain Abdul Majid al-Jardi, media and cultural officer at the Syrian Seafarers and Offshore Workers Syndicate, reassured the families of the detained sailors in a statement to Enab Baladi at the time, confirming that all crew members were safe and that no injuries or mistreatment had been recorded.
Al-Jardi revealed that negotiations were underway to release the ship and crew, saying the talks were being conducted in a carefully studied and deliberate manner to achieve positive results.
He added that contact had been made with the relevant international bodies, especially after UKMTO published its report on the hijacking. The follow-up is continuing, and any developments will be announced as soon as they are received, according to the syndicate’s media officer.
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