Sweden's Supreme Court on 4/8 rejected an appeal by Caffa Shipping, owner of the 96-meter Caffa vessel seized by the country. This means the vessel will be handed over to Ukraine, as decided by two lower Swedish courts following a request from Ukraine.
"We do not grant leave to appeal. Therefore, the Court of Appeal's ruling is final", Sweden's Supreme Court stated.
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The Caffa vessel (left) and Sea Owl I anchored side by side off Sweden after being seized in March. Photo: Reuters |
The Caffa vessel (left) and Sea Owl I anchored side by side off Sweden after being seized in March. Photo: Reuters
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga today thanked Sweden for the decision. "This landmark ruling sets an important precedent, demonstrating how decisive action by executive and prosecutorial bodies, combined with an independent and fair judiciary, can translate the principle of accountability into tangible results", he said.
The Caffa vessel, flying the Guinea flag, was boarded and searched by Swedish forces off the city of Trelleborg on 6/3, while en route to Russia's St. Petersburg. Among the 11 crew members on board, 10 were Russian nationals.
Sweden's Ystad District Court stated that officials acted on a request for judicial assistance from Ukraine, where the Caffa vessel is the subject of a criminal investigation.
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine's commissioner for sanctions policy, accused the Caffa vessel of transporting grain taken from Russian-controlled territories, including a shipment loaded from the port of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula in 7/2025. The vessel later unloaded this grain at Syria's Tartus port.
According to Swedish television channel TV4, this is the first time a court has ordered the transfer of a Russian "dark fleet" vessel to Ukraine.
The "dark fleet" is a Western term for vessels believed to be used by Russia to circumvent sanctions, managed through a network of shell companies to conceal ownership. These are often old, dilapidated ships, lacking adequate insurance and with opaque ownership structures.
Huyen Le (According to AFP, Reuters)
