Sweden detains Russian 'shadow fleet' vessel near Gotland, released next morning

Detention and rapid release of the vessel

An incident involving the detention of a cargo ship occurred in Sweden, which, according to local media, belongs to the so-called Russian "shadow fleet". The event took place near the island of Gotland. Although the vessel was stopped for inspection, it was released the following morning.

Details of the situation were revealed by Swedish TV channel TV4.

Link to Kaliningrad and crew specifics

According to the publication's data, the ship's owner has an official representative office in Kaliningrad. The full crew was formed there, consisting exclusively of Russian citizens.

The main suspicion regarding this transport is its possible involvement in special operations by Russian intelligence services.

Role in drone launches

As TV4 notes, other vessels of the same shipping company had previously come under the spotlight of law enforcement due to reports of drones appearing in European countries.

«Судна тієї самої судноплавної компанії раніше вже ставали об’єктами розслідувань у зв’язку з повідомленнями про появу безпілотників у європейських країнах. Морські дані, зокрема, дають змогу простежити зв’язок між перебуванням цих суден поблизу місць, де фіксували безпілотники. Є підозра, що ці судна могли використовуватися як плавучі бази для безпілотних літальних апаратів, що належать російській розвідці», — заявляє TV4. (Vessels of the same shipping company have previously become subjects of investigations in connection with reports of drones appearing in European countries. Maritime data, in particular, makes it possible to trace the link between the presence of these vessels near locations where drones were detected. There is a suspicion that these vessels could have been used as floating bases for unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to Russian intelligence, TV4 states.)