Swedish Coast Guard Boards and Detains Suspected Stateless Cargo Ship
Swedish police and the Coast Guard swooped down on Friday afternoon, March 6, on a small cargo ship sailing through its territorial waters on suspicion that the ship was operating without a proper registry. The boarding took place from a helicopter and high-speed boat approaching from the stern, and the Swedish authorities report that the ship is being detained for an investigation.
The Coast Guard reported on Saturday during a press conference that it had been tracking the ship for “some time” under the suspicion it was stateless. The ship named Caffa (4,337 dwt) reported it was traveling from Casablanca to St. Petersburg, and the Coast Guard said once it entered Swedish territorial waters, they decided to act, implementing operation “Black Coffee.”
The Police Special Intervention Unit and members of the Coast Guard landed a helicopter on the deck of the small cargo ship while it was underway offshore near Trelleborg on the Baltic Coast. Other officers climbed the stern from a speedboat. The boarding took place around 1550 on Friday, March 6.
They initially reported the ship was being investigated for violations of maritime law, highlighting that without a legitimate flag, it was not an “innocent passage” through Swedish territorial waters, as there was no flag state to vouch for the vessel’s safety and seaworthiness. A Coast Guard spokesperson said they were checking the condition of the ship, determining if the crew had the right skills, and if there was valid insurance. The investigation was reported to be focusing on the seaworthiness of the vessel in the sense of meeting international requirements.
The Swedish Minister of Civil Defense, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, said they were seeking to determine if the vessel “meets the requirements for navigating in our waters.” He noted that, in addition to a false flag, the ownership structure is unclear, and Ukraine has sanctioned the vessel for transporting stolen grain. He noted that the ship last year reported changing from a Russian to a Guinean flag.
Built in 1997, the ship had been registered in Russia since 2017, but reported a change of ownership to a corporation in the Seychelles in 2025 and claimed to be registered in Guinea. The registry is listed by Equasis as false. The ship had its classification withdrawn in June 2025 by the Russian Maritime Register of Ships. In April 2025, it underwent a Port State inspection in Turkey, which identified 11 deficiencies, ranging from working conditions to propulsion and safety of navigation.
Ukraine asserts the vessel loaded grain in Sevastopol, Crimea, in July 2025. It considers any transportation from occupied Crimea a theft. It has sought to prosecute the captains and ships involved in the exports.
The Swedish authorities reported on Saturday that the vessel remains approximately 5.5 kilometers (3.5 miles) outside Trelleborg. They are interviewing the 11 crewmembers, who they report are predominantly Russian.
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The Swedish Coast Guard said the investigation was expected to continue for several days. The ship could be facing fines, or the crew could be prosecuted and jailed, depending on the violations. They said they would determine if the ship should be moved from its current position offshore based on the results of the investigation.
Swedish media writes that it is the second recent incident, as the Coast Guard also detained another vessel in December 2025. The ship, which was operating under sanctions and has links to the Russian arms industry, reported mechanical problems. The Swedish authorities boarded it and conducted an investigation but later permitted it to depart Sweden.
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