Sweden releases sanctioned tanker Sea Owl I after seven months off Trelleborg
Equatorial Guinea has confirmed the ship's registration after Comoros and Cameroon papers were found to be false
The Swedish Transport Agency has lifted its ban on the tanker Sea Owl I, which had been held at anchor off Trelleborg since Swedish forces boarded her on 12 March. "The vessel's registration in the stated flag state of Equatorial Guinea has been verified," the agency said on Monday 12 October, adding that the other checks required for her release had been completed.
The 75,000 dwt products tanker, built in 2007 and Chinese-owned, was inbound from Santos in Brazil and bound for the Russian port of Primorsky when she was stopped during a Swedish crackdown on false-flagged and potentially unseaworthy ships entering the Baltic. Her master presented papers showing registration in the Comoros, but records showed she had been sailing under a false flag since July 2025. An attempt in May to move her to the Cameroon flag was also found to be invalid, which left her without a recognised flag state.
What happened to her masters?
The first master was arrested in March for allegedly presenting false papers. Prosecutors later released him and dropped the investigation, saying it was difficult to prove that he knew the documents were false. A replacement master was detained in May for presenting false papers. Swedish authorities also opened a preliminary investigation into suspected breaches of seaworthiness requirements.
The ship is on the EU sanctions list, but the Swedish Coast Guard said she was not suspected of any sanctions violation. Swedish authorities argue that when a ship is not under a legitimate flag, no state is responsible for her safe operation. She remains at anchor off Sweden awaiting orders, and her next destination has not been disclosed.
Which other ships has Sweden held?
The small cargo ship Caffa, stopped in March on similar suspicions, was seized by police, and in August Sweden's top court upheld a ruling that she can be handed over to Ukraine, which suspects her of carrying grain from occupied territory. She remains in Sweden. The product tanker Jin Hui, stopped in May over registry and seaworthiness questions, is still under a ban on use at anchor off Trelleborg. Two bulk carriers were released after paying fines.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 14 October 2026.
Ships in this story
