Three suspected Russian shadow ships are forcibly anchored off Trelleborg with 36 crew members stranded aboard for months. More were confined on Sunday when Jin Hui was boarded. The Coast Guard warns of interventions if more vessels enter Swedish waters.
Three vessels – Caffa, Sea Owl I, and Jin Hui – are anchored side by side off Trelleborg without permission to move. They are suspected to be part of the Russian shadow fleet transporting oil to finance the war in Ukraine and are listed on EU sanctions. Jin Hui is also suspected of flying a false Syrian flag and appears on the UK and Ukraine lists.
The Coast Guard and police have conducted several operations against shadow ships in Swedish waters this winter and spring. Caffa was boarded on March 6, suspected of carrying stolen Ukrainian grain; its captain was arrested but later released. Sea Owl I was boarded on March 12, and its Russian captain remains in custody. Jin Hui was boarded on Sunday, and its Chinese master is detained on suspicion of gross misuse of false document and violations of the maritime law.
"If this type of vessel continues into Swedish waters, we will intervene," says Coast Guard press chief Mattias Lindholm. The Transport Agency has issued usage bans for Caffa and Sea Owl I until deficiencies are fixed. Coast Guard personnel remain aboard Jin Hui.
Chaplain JP Heath in Malmö visited Caffa, where 12 crew have been stranded for nearly two months, but was denied access to Sea Owl I. A total of 36 sailors remain aboard, except the detained masters. "It is not an easy thing to talk about. No one knows how long they will stay either," Heath says.
