Sweden seizes tanker tied to Russian shadow fleet

The Swedish Coast Guard has detained the oil tanker Flora 1 in the Baltic Sea on suspicion of involvement in Russia’s shadow fleet and of causing an oil spill of around 12 kilometres off the island of Gotland. The vessel was stopped off Sweden’s southern coast.

According to available information, the tanker sailed from the Russian port of Primorsk, with its destination unclear. Swedish authorities have launched an investigation on suspicion of an environmental offence. They added that the vessel may be on the European Union’s sanctions list and that its flag status is unclear.

The coastguard said the spill is not expected to reach the coast. However, the incident has drawn attention amid growing concerns over Russia’s shadow fleet, which consists of older, less well-insured tankers used to circumvent sanctions.

Sweden’s Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, said the vessels pose both a security and an environmental risk.

(reuters, max)