A Chinese captain of an oil tanker with potential Russian connections has been arrested in Sweden for allegedly possessing false documents and breaching seaworthiness regulations, a Swedish prosecutor announced on Monday. The coast guard and police boarded the Syrian-flagged vessel, Jin Hui, in Swedish territorial waters on Sunday.
The unnamed captain is set to be interrogated on Monday, according to Senior Prosecutor Adrien Combier-Hogg. The Jin Hui is believed to be part of the “shadow fleet,” a secretive network of ships that Russia has used to evade Western sanctions imposed due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This incident marks Sweden’s fifth action against such vessels this year, as European nations ramp up efforts to disrupt the shadow fleet.
While Russia has yet to comment on this specific incident, it has previously denounced the interception of its vessels as hostile. Details regarding the captain’s response to the seizure or the charges against him remain unclear. The coast guard noted that the ship, whose destination is unknown and is not believed to be carrying a cargo, appears on several sanctions lists, including those of the European Union and the UK.
