Sweden releases ship detained on its way from Russia for environmental crime
13.04.2026 - 10:11
Sweden has released a ship that was detained for dumping coal residues into the sea. The captain of the bulk carrier has been fined.
On the morning of April 12, the Coast Guard boarded the vessel near Ystad on suspicion of environmental crimes, SVT reports.
This happened after a Coast Guard aircraft discovered that the crew of the Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier HUI YUAN was washing coal residues from the deck into the sea.
Håkan Andersson, a senior prosecutor with the National Environmental and Labor Division, said that during questioning, the captain admitted to committing a crime through negligence. The fine was 50 daily fines of 500 kronor each.
The vessel was sailing from the port of Ust-Luga in Russia to Las Palmas in Spain.
“This is pollution that is washed off the ship into the water, and we don’t want it to enter our economic zone, as it could have negative environmental consequences in the long term,” Andersson commented.
Shortly after 13:00 on April 12, the HUI YUAN was able to leave Sweden after paying a fine.
USM previously reported that on April 3, the Swedish Coast Guard detained a sanctioned tanker suspected of causing an oil spill in the Baltic Sea.
