Confiscation of the “Caffa” vessel: the Council of Europe called the case an example for other countries
25.09.2026 - 11:14
The Council of Europe expert group recorded the case of the confiscation of a vessel associated with the Russian “shadow fleet” and the transfer of the relevant property to Ukraine within the framework of international legal assistance.
This was reported by Kateryna Yaresko, a journalist for the SeaKrime project of the Myrotvorets Center.
This is a decision of the 40th meeting of the PC-OC Mod restricted group of experts on international cooperation, which was held in Strasbourg on September 22–24.
According to Yaresko, the Council of Europe document does not directly name either Sweden or the Caffa vessel. At the same time, the description of the circumstances corresponds to this particular case: a Ukrainian request for international legal assistance, the arrest of the vessel in Sweden, and a decision to transfer the vessel and other seized property to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian delegation reported on the execution by another participating state of a request for the confiscation of a vessel as a means of committing an international crime and called on other countries to follow this example. PC-OC Mod took note of this call.
Jaresko noted that the Caffa case combined the expanded powers of the Swedish Coast Guard, criminal proceedings in Sweden and the mechanism of international legal assistance to Ukraine.
Sweden expanded the powers of the Coast Guard in the field of maritime intelligence and surveillance from March 1, 2026. Already on March 6, Caffa was taken under control in territorial waters near Trelleborg.
According to Jaresko, the Swedish Coast Guard established that the vessel was flying a false flag of Guinea and considered it a stateless vessel.
She also emphasized that the inclusion of this case in the practice of PC-OC Mod creates a separate precedent for the international fixation of the mechanism by which vessels associated with international crimes can be confiscated and transferred to Ukraine.
Earlier, USM reported that Sweden will transfer to Ukraine the “Caffa” vessel, which was involved in the export of grain from the occupied territories.
