Swedish coastguard boards tanker believed to have caused oil spill in Baltic Sea

Published on 03/04/2026 - 12:34 GMT+2

Sweden's coastguard said it boarded a vas subjected to EU sanctions connected Friday, suspecting it of an biology transgression aft an lipid spill successful the Baltic Sea.

The Flora 1 tanker vas was boarded aft an lipid spill stretching 12 kilometres was detected aboriginal connected Thursday eastbound of the Swedish land of Gotland, the coastguard said successful a statement.

The vas was escorted to an anchorage adjacent Ystad successful confederate Sweden.

"Upon discovery, it was determined that the vas is connected the EU sanctions database and respective unclear issues surrounding the vas were identified, including its emblem status," the coastguard said.

The vas had "an chartless emblem status" and was "en way from a larboard successful the Gulf of Finland with an chartless destination," it said.

It was loaded with lipid and had 24 unit members connected board.

Moscow's "shadow fleet" consists of vessels utilized to skirt Western sanctions. They are often ageing ships successful mediocre condition, of opaque ownership and without due insurance.

"The authorities takes this incidental seriously, adjacent though it does not impact a large lipid spill this time," Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said connected X.

The Russian shadiness fleet, helium said, "poses a important information and biology threat."

"A much extended spill could person had devastating consequences for marine ecosystems and the Swedish coastline," helium added.

A preliminary probe into a suspected biology transgression had been launched and an probe was being conducted connected committee the vessel.

According to the vessel tracking tract Marine traffic, Flora 1 departed the Russian lipid larboard Primorsk headed for Santos successful Brazil, flying the emblem of Sierra Leone.

Sweden's coastguard has already carried retired erstwhile boardings of fishy vessels.

On 12 March, the coastguard boarded the Sea Owl I successful territorial waters and opened a mendacious emblem investigation.

Less than a week earlier, it had intercepted different suspected false-flagged cargo vas successful the aforesaid area.