The Swedish Coast Guard and police on Friday swiftly seized the Caffa (IMO: 9143611), a cargo tanker travelling in the Swedish waters of the Baltic Sea, over suspicions of being stateless.
At least one crew member was arrested on Saturday over alleged violations of the Maritime Act and the Ship Safety Act, as well as the usage of false documents.
The high-speed boarding took place at about 3:50 PM (local time), with visuals showing a helicopter being used to track it and aerially board the ship and a high-speed boat with officers to seize the small ship from the stern. The Caffa has now been detained for further investigation.
The Swedish Coast Guard later said that they had been tracking the Guinean-flagged ship for a while over suspicions of improper registry—specifically, a false flag.
AIS data showed that the ship was headed to Russia's St Petersburg Port from Morocco's Casablanca Port. When it transited through Swedish waters, it was caught off the coast of Trelleborg under what the authorities termed 'Operation Black Coffee'.
"It is serious that ships sailing in Swedish waters, and in our territorial waters, have such deficiencies that they pose a threat to maritime safety and maritime traffic, our shipping lanes and ports, and not least to the environment," said Daniel Stenling, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at the Swedish Coast Guard, in a statement.
He added that findings made aboard the ship so far revealed "extensive deficiencies" as they had suspected.
The investigation will continue with the help of the Swedish Transport Agency, which was expected to carry out a port state control (PSC)—a type of inspection of foreign vessels by authorised officers—on Sunday. The Coast Guard has not yet revealed the results of the PSC.
Based on the PSC, the Swedish Transport Agency will pass a ruling on whether to ban the vessel from operating until the "extensive deficiencies" have been corrected and the Caffa meets the applicable safety standards.
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