A Panama-flagged vessel which the Swedish coast guard boarded on Sunday morning suspecting it of an environmental offence has been allowed to leave Sweden after the master of the vessel admitted of violating the Swedish environmental code, the coast guard said.
The bulk carrier, which was sailing from Russia to Las Palmas in Spain, is suspected of violation of the environmental code.
The incident was detected by a Swedish coast guard aircraft, which spotted the vessel allegedly flushing coal residues into the sea, the coast guard said in a statement.
At approximately 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, the Swedish coast guard’s crew on KBV 003, on behalf of the Swedish prosecution authority, boarded the ship outside Ystad, south of Sweden.
The Swedish coast guard launched a preliminary investigation on Sunday, April 12, following reports of the violation of environmental legislation and the prosecutor has decided that a hearing will be held.
Later Sunday, the coast guard said the ship master “has admitted violating the Swedish Environmental Code” and “has deposited money for future fines.”
“The ship is therefore allowed to leave Sweden,” it said.
“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.
