The Russian Embassy has stated that all 11 sailors on board the Caffa are Russian citizens, with only one being of another nationality.

A few days later, Sweden detained the Sea Owl I vessel and arrested its captain

The Swedish Coast Guard has detained the tanker Flora 1,(IMO 9307815, MMSI 613719802 -sailing under the flag of Cameroo )  which is subject to Ukrainian sanctions for transporting Russian oil. Coastguard personnel boarded the vessel on the morning of 3 April while it was anchored off the southern coast near the town of Ystad. The vessel was officially detained on suspicion of violating environmental protection laws in connection with an oil spill east of Gotland within the Swedish economic zone.

A statement, the Coast Guard

In a statement, the Coast Guard said: “The vessel in question was sailing from a port in the Gulf of Finland to an unknown destination. It also has an undefined flag status and is on the EU sanctions list.”The Coast Guard stated that the tanker is on the EU sanctions list. The vessel was also subject to Ukrainian sanctions in 2025

Suspicions of lack of seaworthiness.

.The Swedish Prosecution Authority also raised suspicions of lack of seaworthiness. This was under the Maritime Act. It was based on the ship's unclear flag state. Over the past few years, the ship has undergone a number of name and flag state changes. However, on Saturday, Cameroon confirmed that the ship is indeed registered with them.. The investigation has therefore been closed.

The description by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine 

It is interesting to note that the description by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine on the War & Sanctions website states that, during the period of the G7+ oil embargo and the price cap policy on Russian oil and petroleum products, the tanker Flora 1 was involved in the export of Russian oil and petroleum products, specifically from Russian ports in the Baltic and Black Seas.

Related : Sweden detained Russian cargo vessel Adler in one of its ports

Source : VesselFinder

The Flora 1 is the third vessel to be detained

The Flora 1 is the third vessel to be detained by Swedish authorities in the Baltic Sea in the last month.The coast guard intercepted the dry cargo ship Caffa in early March, suspecting it of violating international maritime safety regulations. The vessel, sailing under the flag of Guinea, was detained for further investigation.

All 11 seafarerson board the Caffa are Russian citizens,

The Russian Embassy has stated that all 11 seafarers on board the Caffa are Russian citizens, with only one being of another nationality. The ship’s captain is also Russian. He has been arrested. A few days later, Sweden detained the Sea Owl I (IMO 9321172, MMSI 620800094 - sailing under the flag of Comoros. )  arrested its captain

Reason for detention according to Russian Ambassador

It was stated by Russian Ambassador to Stockholm Sergey Belyaev that no complaints have been made against the tanker's crew by the Swedish authorities. He speculated that the detention may have been prompted by concerns about the vessel’s technical condition and compliance with environmental regulations.

#Stockholm Sergey Belyaev # Russian seafarers #The Flora 1 #Swedish authorities #Defence Intelligence of Ukraine #Swedish Coast Guard #Cameroon