A Swedish court ordered today the Russian captain of a ship suspected of sailing under a false flag in the Baltic Sea and placed under the control of authorities in Stockholm earlier this week to remain in custody, the Associated Press reported.
The commander of the tanker Sea Owl 1, whose name has not been released, was arrested on Friday, a day after the Swedish coast guard boarded the ship near Trelleborg, on Sweden's southern coast. Prosecutors suspect he used a false document. The Ystad District Court ordered him to remain in custody in accordance with their request.
The tanker was flying the flag of the Comoros, but the coast guard suspects it is not registered in the African island nation's shipping register and therefore has no country to guarantee the vessel's safety.
The vessel, which is also on the EU sanctions list, was travelling from Brazil to Russia, the coast guard said. It had previously been used to transport oil between the two countries, although it appeared to be empty on Thursday.
Last year, Sweden said it would step up inspections of foreign ships in a bid to tighten control over Russia's "shadow fleet" of ageing vessels used to transport oil and gas or Ukrainian grain.