Sweden carried out an operation in the Baltic Sea to seize the cargo ship Caffa, accused of transporting grain from occupied Ukrainian territories.
The action took place near the city of Trelleborg and involved Swedish special forces (Nationella insatsstyrkan), police air support and coast guard agents, who boarded the ship during a mission called “Svart kaffe” (black coffee).
According to authorities and maritime monitoring data, the vessel would have loaded grain in Sevastopol in July 2025, a product that Kiev considers stolen. Due to participation in export schemes linked to the occupied territories, the ship was included in Ukraine’s sanctions list. Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oscar Bolin said the freighter had changed its Russian flag to a Guinea one in an attempt to hide its activities.
At the time of the interception, the ship was heading from Casablanca to Saint Petersburg. Swedish authorities say Caffa already had a history of violating international standards. The coast guard highlighted that the operation was planned in advance and with detailed risk analysis, while investigators began searches on board and interrogated the crew.
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The case is handled by Stockholm as part of the offensive against the so-called “ghost fleet” used to circumvent international sanctions. A similar episode occurred on March 1, 2026, when the Belgian military, with support from France, intercepted the oil tanker Ethera near Ostend. The vessel, measuring 180 meters and also flying the Guinea flag, was identified by intelligence as part of this network and taken to the port of Zeebrugge for investigation.
Source: Militarnyi | Photo: X @CarlOskar | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
Today, the Coast Guard, with the help of the national task force and in cooperation with the relevant authorities, boarded a suspected false-flag cargo ship in Swedish waters.
The ship is on Ukraine’s sanctions list, the ownership structure is unclear and there is suspicion that insurance… pic.twitter.com/LrOYNFpQoj
— Carl-Oskar Bohlin (@CarlOskar) March 6, 2026
