Ship Allowed to Proceed After Captain Admits Offence
Swedish authorities have permitted a cargo ship travelling from Russia to Gran Canaria to continue sailing after it was boarded on Sunday. This followed the captain’s admission that he had illegally dumped waste into the Baltic Sea. Prosecutor Hakan Andersson told the Swedish TT news agency that the captain of the Panama-flagged vessel admitted during questioning to negligence constituting a criminal offence.
Bail Posted for Future Fine
The Swedish Coast Guard stated in a communiqué that the commander has posted bail to cover a potential future fine, and therefore the ‘Hui Yuan’ has been allowed to leave Swedish waters. Previously, the Scandinavian country’s authorities had immobilised the ship after discovering on Saturday, via images taken from an aircraft, that the crew had dumped coal waste into the water, thereby contravening environmental laws.
Sunday Boarding and Release
On the orders of the Swedish Prosecution Authority, the ship was boarded on Sunday at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) near the city of Ystad on the country’s southern coast. It received permission to resume its voyage at 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT).
Part of a Wider Crackdown on Russian-Linked Vessels
The Swedish public broadcaster SVT linked the operation to recent actions taken against the so-called Russian ghost fleet, used to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil following the war in Ukraine. Although in this case the ship was carrying coal and not oil, the strategy of the Swedish authorities is to minimise tolerance for any type of infringement committed by vessels linked to Russia in the Baltic Sea.
Fourth Boarding Since March
This is the fourth time since March that the Swedish Coast Guard has boarded a vessel. Two of those ships remain immobilised off the south coast of Sweden, and their respective Russian captains are detained on suspicion of using forged documents.
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