Sweden will transfer a vessel from Russia’s “shadow fleet” to Ukraine
6 August 21:16
Sweden’s Supreme Court has ruled to return the cargo ship Caffa to Ukraine; the vessel was detained off the country’s southern coast in early March 2026 as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.” AFP reported this on Thursday, August 6, citing relevant court documents, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The Supreme Court thus rejected an appeal by Caffa Shipping Ltd., which had sought to challenge the ruling to transfer the seized vessel to Ukraine. The decision had previously been upheld by two lower courts in the country.
“This landmark decision sets an important precedent, demonstrating that decisive action by law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor’s office, combined with an independent and impartial judicial system, allows the principle of accountability to be translated into concrete results,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga, commenting on the court’s decision.
The vessel was likely transporting grain from Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine
The prosecutor stated that the Swedish Supreme Court confirmed the legality of the vessel’s seizure and ruled to transfer it to Ukraine, whose authorities believe that the Caffa was carrying grain exported from Russian-occupied territories.
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Swedish authorities seized the vessel flying the Guinean flag in March 2026 at the request of the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office. As reported by The Insider, from 2017 to 2025, the vessel sailed under the Russian flag—and changed it after Ukraine added the Caffa to its sanctions list.
Ten of the eleven crew members were Russian citizens. Swedish authorities also detained the ship’s captain, a Russian citizen, and charged him with using forged maritime certificates, violating maritime law, and violating the law on ship safety. The Russian national was released in April. According to Reuters, he denied that the vessel was part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
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