Sweden Busts Bulker for Washing Russian Coal Residue Into the Baltic
After years of tolerating under-regulated tonnage linked to Russian trade in the Baltic, NATO member nations have begun cracking down on traffic to and from the St. Petersburg region. That initiative has focused on irregularities aboard "shadow fleet" tankers, but all vessels capable of dragging anchor across a subsea cable are getting scrutiny. The latest boarding occurred Sunday morning, when Swedish authorities caught a Chinese-owned bulker in an apparent marine pollution violation.
At about 0800 on Sunday morning, the Swedish Coast Guard patrol vessel KBV 003 interdicted the Panama-flagged bulker Hui Yuan at a position off Ystad, to the south of Sweden. Officials with the Kustbevakningen suspected that the ship had washed off coal residue into the water, which is forbidden in Sweden's Baltic waters.
On questioning, the master of the vessel admitted that he "committed these crimes out of negligence," Swedish prosecutor Hakan Andersson told SVT. The ship posted a bond to cover the possibility of future fines, and she has been allowed to depart, as is customary.
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Hui Yuan is Panama-flagged and owned in Guangzhou. She loaded a cargo of coal at the Utramar terminal near Ust-Luga, Russia last week, and is now broadcasting her destination as Las Palmas, Spain. It is unclear whether she would intend to unload in Las Palmas, since the EU has banned the importation of Russian coal.
"The shipping industry should know that Swedish authorities are working close together to maintain order at sea. We are acting to increase maritime safety and protect the environment. If there is a suspicious vessel, we do intervene, based on the prevailing conditions," said Daniel Stenling, Deputy Head of the Swedish Coast Guard’s Operations Department.
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