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A Swedish court has agreed with prosecutors that a cargo ship accused of stealing grain from the occupied regions of Ukraine can be seized in response to a request from Ukraine. The decision is being hailed by Ukraine's Prosecutor General as the first time an international court has agreed to its requests to hold ships accountable for sanctions violations.
Swedish prosecutors had moved to seize the general cargo ship Caffa(4,337 dwt) on April 29 in response to the request from Ukraine. Prosecutors reported they were going to let the court examine whether the vessel could be handed over to Ukraine under Swedish law.
The court in Sweden's Ystad District ruled that the ship can be legally seized and handed over to Ukraine based on the request that came from Ukraine. Media reports indicate that the court said after reviewing the circumstances, it found that the charges would be considered a war crime in Sweden and permitted the seizure.
Ukrainian prosecutors reported they had filed a request with Sweden on March 12, alleging the ship had systematically violated the rules for entering and leaving the occupied areas of Ukraine. Europe has recognized Ukraine's sanctions on the ports in Crimea since the 2014 annexation of the region by Russia. Ukrainian prosecutors said the Caffa had repeatedly transported grain from the ports and, to hide the activity, used a false registration.
The Swedish Coast Guard had stopped the Caffa on March 6, reporting that they believed the ship was sailing under a false registry claiming it was under the flag of Guinea. The Caffa was directed to anchor off Trelleborg on charges that it was violating maritime law and vessel safety regulations.
Ukraine asked Sweden to search the ship for evidence, interrogate the captain and crew, and arrest the Caffa. It reports that Sweden moved quickly to search the ship and interview the captain and crew, who were mostly Russians.
The ship, which was built in 1997, had been owned by Russians, but is now reported to be owned by a corporation in the Seychelles. Since 2025, it has been claiming to be sailing under the flag of Guinea, which is listed by Equasis and others as being false. In April 2025, Turkey conducted a Port State inspection and listed 11 deficiencies ranging from issues with the main and auxiliary engines to the availability of firefighting equipment, and problems with its charts and voyage plan. Previously, Turkey had listed seven deficiencies in 2024, and Russian inspectors reported 10 deficiencies in a 2023 inspection.
Sweden arrested the captain on charges that he presented false documents, but later released him, saying it was unable to prove the captain knew the documents were false. The 11-member crew was ultimately permitted to leave the ship after prosecutors said the crew was not suspected of any crimes. The Caffa remains docked in Trelleborg.
Ukraine has in the past seized ships it charged with similar crimes when they have been in local waters. The courts in Ukraine have awarded custody of the ships and ordered them sold, with the proceeds going to the treasury. Ukraine had also attempted to seize a larger bulker that was sailing to Israel, but the Israelis did not act on the claim. The ship sailed back into the Black Sea searching for a new destination for its grain cargo.
Fuente: Maritime Executive
