Swedish authorities intervened against and boarded the vessel on 12 March because it was not seaworthy, which is an offence under the Swedish Maritime Code. At the time, the vessel had no flag state because it was flying a false flag of the Comoros. In May, the vessel stated that it had reflagged to Cameroon, which also proved to be false.

The Swedish Transport Agency now confirms that the vessel has been registered in the ship register of Equatorial Guinea.

– A vessel that disregards international agreements and rules by flying a false flag, and does so twice, gambles with safety in shipping lanes and along our coasts. It is good that the vessel can now leave Sweden after lying at anchor off our coast for a remarkably long time, says Daniel Stenling, Deputy Head of Operations at the Swedish Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard is a civil authority with law enforcement and public order duties at sea. It has the power to intervene against and investigate crimes. During the spring, the Coast Guard, with support from several other Swedish authorities, carried out a number of interventions against vessels that had committed offences in Swedish territorial waters and in the Swedish economic zone.

Safety at sea depends on a high level of compliance with the rules. Those who follow international and national law enjoy great freedoms. These freedoms come from the law of the sea, and Sweden protects them.

– We act against crime. We will again intervene against vessels that are not seaworthy, or that do not act in line with applicable international and national rules, says Daniel Stenling.

  • Sea Owl 1 is on the EU sanctions list but is not suspected of any sanctions offence. Two masters on board have been investigated on several occasions for various offences, including use of a forged document. All preliminary investigations have been closed.
  • The vessel Caffa, which was boarded on 6 March, has been seized by the Swedish Police Authority and is moored in Trelleborg harbour.
  • Another vessel, Jin Hui, has remained at the roadstead since 3 May under a ban on use.
  • The Coast Guard continues to cooperate closely with the Swedish Transport Agency and the Swedish Police Authority.