A Swedish court has determined that authorities acted within the law when they confiscated a cargo vessel in the Baltic Sea and has approved transferring the ship to Ukraine for investigation into alleged war crimes.
The vessel, known as the Caffa, was detained by Swedish police and coast guard forces near southern Sweden in March. Authorities alleged the ship was operating under fraudulent documentation and had breached maritime safety regulations due to being unseaworthy.
Legal representatives for the vessel’s owner, Caffa Shipping Limited, had contested the confiscation and requested the ship’s return, according to the court’s June 4 decision.
Ukrainian officials want custody of the vessel as part of their probe into suspected war crimes related to stealing and transporting property from territories under Russian occupation, the court stated.
“The court has confirmed that the seizure of the CAFFA, etc., was legally founded and that the vessel may be surrendered to Ukraine,” public prosecutor Hakan Larsson said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
The district court determined that the suspected activities could qualify as war crimes under Swedish legal statutes, opening the door for transferring the ship and associated evidence to Ukrainian investigators.
Larsson noted that the decision must become final before any handover occurs, explaining that the owners have a three-week window to file an appeal.
Legal counsel for Caffa Shipping did not provide immediate comment when contacted.
According to police reports from the time of seizure, most of the Caffa’s 11 crew members held Russian nationality. Ship-tracking service MarineTraffic identifies the vessel as a 96-metre general cargo ship.
