The ship was boarded by helicopter and boat by the police's national task force. Coast Guard personnel then came aboard.
At 3:50 p.m., control had been taken over the bulk carrier, Caffa, which flies the Guinean flag.
When asked if the ship is suspected of being part of the Russian so-called shadow fleet, Mattias Lindholm says that the matter is being investigated and that there are question marks surrounding the ship that authorities need answers to.
Among other things, the ship is flying a flag that indicates that it is stateless, i.e. falsely flagged. We have also initiated a preliminary investigation into violations of the Maritime Act, as we suspect lack of seaworthiness - that the ship does not meet international standards.
On the way to St. Petersburg
The ship most recently arrived from Casablanca and had stated that it was heading for St. Petersburg, but there is uncertainty about this, according to Lindholm.
The operation is still ongoing. The crew on board has been cooperative.
"It has gone smoothly and has completely followed the plan we had," says Lindholm.
We are conducting searches, interviews, reviewing documentation, and gathering information. We need to process it. This is a time-consuming process, so it will take time.
He can't say how long, nor what will happen to the ship.
I don't want to speculate on what decisions we will make. Right now we are still at sea, directly south of Trelleborg.
“Changed from Russian flag”
Several authorities may be involved in the operation.
We are still open to that. But in our world, the maritime world, we are still in the initial stages of the preliminary investigation and the work on board.
Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M), Minister of Civil Defense, writes on X:
"The ship is on Ukraine's sanctions list, the ownership structure is unclear and there is a suspicion that insurance is missing. As recently as this summer, the ship is said to have changed from Russian to Guinean flag."
Bohlin further writes that the authority's investigation must determine "whether the vessel in question meets the requirements set for navigating in our waters."
