The Swedish Coast Guard intercepted the Sea Owl I oil tanker in the Baltic Sea, suspected of being part of the so-called clandestine fleet used by Russia to circumvent international sanctions.
The 228-meter vessel was boarded by agents at around 8:30 pm on Thursday and remains close to the Swedish coast, in front of the city of Trelleborg.
Although the ship was officially registered under the Comoros flag, Swedish authorities believe the registration may have been used irregularly. The tanker also appears on the European Union’s sanctions list, which reinforces suspicions that it is involved in operations aimed at circumventing trade restrictions imposed on Russia.
According to Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin, the ship could be part of the so-called Russian “ghost fleet” — a group of vessels used to transport oil and other products without complying with international rules. Data from the MarineTraffic system indicates that the tanker had recently entered the Baltic Sea before being intercepted.
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This is the second similar case recorded in the region in just one week. Days earlier, the coast guard approached the cargo ship Caffa, which was sailing under the Guinea flag and heading from Casablanca to Saint Petersburg. Investigations indicate that the vessel transported grain loaded in Sevastopol, territory occupied by Russia, and even changed its flag in 2025 to try to hide its activities.
Source: Militarnyi | Photo: Swedish Coast Guard – Coast Guard | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
❗️🇸🇪Swedish Coast Guard has detained a vessel from 🇷🇺Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” in its territorial waters for the second time this week. The name of the ship is Sea Owl 1. pic.twitter.com/7L3cJ5DU1V
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) March 12, 2026
