Sweden detains cargo ship bound for Russia in Baltic Sea

The Swedish Coast Guard has detained the cargo vessel Caffa, which was sailing toward Saint Petersburg in Russia under the flag of Guinea. The ship is included on Ukraine’s sanctions list, according to a report by SVT.

The operation, code-named “Black Coffee,” took place in the Baltic Sea near Trelleborg, Sweden. Authorities deployed helicopters during the interception, and one aircraft landed on the vessel, enabling security personnel to board and secure the ship.

Following the boarding, Swedish authorities launched investigative procedures concerning the vessel. Ukrainian officials have alleged that the ship was previously involved in the “theft of grain” from Crimea.

Sweden’s minister for civil defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, said authorities also suspect the vessel may be operating without insurance and that it displays several features commonly associated with vessels belonging to a so-called “shadow fleet.”

Bohlin added that the ship reportedly changed its registration earlier this summer, switching its flag from Russian to Guinean.

“Given the serious threat posed by the shadow fleet, the government believes it is necessary to pursue an active policy to counter it,” Bohlin wrote on X.

By Tamilla Hasanova