Swedish authorities boarded the tanker Flora 1 on Good Friday over a suspected oil spill east of Gotland. Two crew members are suspected of violating the law on pollution from ships but have not been detained. The vessel is now anchored south of Ystad and believed to belong to Russia's shadow fleet.
The Swedish Coast Guard and police boarded the oil tanker Flora 1 on Good Friday morning following a suspected oil spill east of Gotland early Thursday morning. The vessel was ordered into Swedish territorial waters and is now anchored just south of Ystad.
Two crew members were questioned on Friday. The 24-person crew hails from various Asian countries. They are suspected of breaching the law on measures against pollution from ships, but senior prosecutor Frida Molander stated no coercive measures would be taken. "We have conducted the necessary interrogations and will not impose any coercive measures," she said in a press release.
Coast Guard press chief Mattias Lindholm confirmed suspicions of an environmental crime in Sweden's economic zone, where the country has authority to act. The ship left Russia's Ust-Luga on March 27 bound for Brazil and has been on the EU sanctions list since July 2025. It has flown multiple flags, most recently Sierra Leone, and is linked to an Indian firm in Russia's shadow fleet.
Russia's shadow fleet circumvents sanctions on its oil exports. The vessel previously transferred Russian crude to another tanker off Greece in January 2024.
