Sweden Detains Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker Flora 1, Subject to Sanctions

The Swedish Coast Guard detained the tanker Flora 1, which is subject to Ukrainian sanctions for transporting Russian oil.

Coast Guard personnel boarded the vessel on the morning of April 3 while it was anchored off the southern coast near the town of Ystad.

Officially, the vessel was detained on suspicion of violating environmental protection laws in connection with an oil spill east of Gotland, within the Swedish economic zone.

“The vessel in question was sailing from a port in the Gulf of Finland to an unknown destination, also has an undefined flag status, and is on the EU sanctions list,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The oil spill in the Baltic Sea was detected on the morning of April 2. Sweden estimates the volume at 2,000 liters.

The Coast Guard clarified that the tanker is on the EU sanctions list. The vessel was also subject to Ukrainian sanctions in 2025.

“During the period of the G7+ oil embargo and the price cap policy on Russian oil and petroleum products, the tanker Flora 1 was involved in the export of Russian oil and petroleum products, specifically from Russian ports in the Baltic and Black Seas,” reads the description by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine on the website War & Sanctions.

The Flora 1 is the third vessel detained by Swedish authorities in the Baltic Sea over the past month.

In early March, the coast guard boarded the dry cargo ship Caffa, which was sailing under the flag of Guinea — it was detained on suspicion of violating international maritime safety regulations.

According to the Russian Embassy, ten of the 11 sailors aboard the Caffa are Russian citizens. The ship’s captain is also a Russian citizen. He has been arrested.

A few days later, Sweden detained the vessel Sea Owl I. The captain was also arrested.

Russian Ambassador to Stockholm Sergey Belyaev stated that the Swedish authorities have no complaints against the tanker’s crew. According to him, the detention may have been caused by concerns regarding the vessel’s technical condition and compliance with environmental requirements.