Overview
- On Thursday, June 4, a Swedish court approved the arrest of the cargo vessel Caffa following a mutual legal assistance request from Ukraine’s prosecutor general.
- Swedish authorities first detained Caffa near Trelleborg on March 6, conducted onboard searches and crew interviews after Ukraine’s March 12 request, and the ship was later confiscated in late April.
- Ukrainian investigators allege Caffa used false registration records listed as 'Guinea False' to hide voyages and that it carried grain from Russian‑held Crimea to Syria in July 2025.
- Ukraine says the court decision is the first time a foreign court has accepted its request in this category and that the ruling could support eventual confiscation and transfer of the vessel to Ukraine if domestic legal steps follow.
- The case is part of a wider push to police a so‑called 'shadow fleet' with EU lists of nearly 600 suspect ships and Ukrainian data showing about 25 vessels made roughly 50 direct voyages from occupied ports to third countries from January to April 2026, exporting more than 850,000 tonnes of grain.