STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish authorities are investigating a cargo ship sailing in the Baltic Sea that’s accused of transporting stolen grain, officials said Saturday.
The Swedish Coast Guard said during a news conference Saturday that the crew of the Caffa is predominantly Russian, and the ship is on Ukraine’s sanctions list, according to Swedish news agency TT.
The Caffa was also allegedly sailing under a false flag when Swedish authorities boarded it in Swedish territorial waters Friday to search it and conduct interviews, TT reported. It had been sailing under a Guinean flag.
Authorities are concerned about its seaworthiness and a person is under criminal investigation, TT reported. Other details about the Caffa and its crew were not immediately available.
Sweden last year said it would step up insurance checks on foreign ships in a move aimed at tightening controls on Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet ” of aging ships, which are used to transport oil and gas or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain.
The average age of the vessels is around 18 years, meaning they’re near the end of their life span and are more vulnerable to accidents, especially if they’re not well-maintained.
The government in Stockholm last year tasked the Coast Guard and the Swedish Maritime Administration with collecting insurance information not just from ships that call at Swedish ports, but also those that pass through the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.
Authorities have not said whether they believe the Caffa is part of the shadow fleet.