On Saturday morning, a crew member on board the vessel Caffa was arrested. The person is suspected of offences under the Maritime Code (sjölagen) and the Vessel Safety Act (fartygssäkerhetslagen), and of using a forged document, which is a serious offence.

The vessel Caffa has been of interest to the Swedish Coast Guard for some time. On board the Caffa, the Coast Guard has found conditions that confirm the initial information that led to the operation on Friday afternoon.

− It is serious when vessels sailing in Swedish waters, and in our territorial sea, have such deficiencies that they pose a threat to maritime safety and sea traffic, to our fairways and harbours and not least to the environment, says Daniel Stenling, Deputy Operations Manager at the Coast Guard.

− The findings we have made on board strengthen our suspicions and our view that there are extensive deficiencies on the vessel in connection with its operation and activities. Our task is to uphold the rules and regulations at sea. We will take action against vessels that break them and that disturb safety in our territorial sea, says Daniel Stenling.

As the investigation has grown, a prosecutor has taken over the preliminary investigation. The Coast Guard continues to investigate in line with the prosecutor's directions.

The Coast Guard is working with the Swedish Transport Agency, which is carrying out a so-called port state control inspection on Sunday. If an inspection shows that the deficiencies are so serious that the vessel cannot be considered safe to use, the Swedish Transport Agency can decide on a prohibition on use. A prohibition on use means that the vessel must not continue its voyage or be used until the identified deficiencies have been rectified and the agency has verified that the vessel meets the applicable safety requirements.

The Caffa is at anchor in Swedish waters off Trelleborg. The authorities' work continues on Sunday.