Swedish authorities have seized a Sierra Leone-flagged chemical tanker on suspicion of carrying out an illegal oil spill in the Baltic Sea. The 21-year-old Flora 1 was detained by Swedish authorities in the early hours of Friday following suspicions that the vessel had discharged oil illegally into the Baltic with aerial photos showing a sheen behind the vessel. Further details of the circumstances surrounding the alleged spill, including the volume of oil involved and the precise location of the incident, were not immediately available. Sierra Leone has emerged in recent months as one of the most scrutinised flag states in European waters, having become a preferred registry for vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet. Of the 156 tankers and gas carriers broadcasting AIS signals under the Sierra Leone flag in recent months, the vast majority have been found to be sanctioned by the US, EU or UK in connection with Russia, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward. The Baltic Sea has seen a significant increase in maritime enforcement activity in recent months, with Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Denmark all stepping up operations against suspected sanctions-busting and hybrid warfare-linked vessels in the region. An investigation into the Flora 1 is ongoing. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsRussia Sweden