Sweden detains fifth vessel of "shadow fleet"

Swedish law enforcement authorities have detained the tanker Jin Hui for inspection, as it is suspected of sailing under a false flag. The vessel is on the sanctions lists of the European Union and the United Kingdom.

The Swedish Coast Guard (Kustbevakningen) reported this on Sunday, May 3.

Daniel Stenling, Deputy Chief of Operations at the Swedish Coast Guard, stated that vessels suspected of being unseaworthy (unable to perform their functions safely and effectively) continue to sail in Swedish waters.

"This is unacceptable. We have intervened before, now we are intervening again," Stenling said.

Coast Guard officers boarded the tanker Jin Hui at 2:00 p.m. Kyiv time as the vessel was entering the Baltic Sea. The Swedish Coast Guard had been monitoring the 182-meter-long vessel, which flies the Syrian flag. The vessel is likely unloaded. Its destination is unclear.

The vessel is included on several sanctions lists, including those of the EU and the UK. The Swedish Coast Guard suspects the vessel is sailing under a false flag; were it not for a number of uncertainties regarding the vessel’s flag status, it would not meet seaworthiness requirements.

In such cases, the Swedish Coast Guard may require the vessel to anchor in Swedish territorial waters. The designated anchorage for the Jin Hui is located south of Trelleborg.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on April 12, the Swedish Coast Guard announced the detention of the dry cargo ship Hui Yuan. The vessel was detained on suspicion of a serious violation of environmental legislation.

As a reminder, on April 3, Sweden detained the “shadow fleet” tanker Flora 1, which, due to its technical condition, spilled at least 2 tons of oil into the Baltic Sea.