---
title: "Swedish court allows transfer of cargo ship Caffa to Ukraine: details of arrest and investigation"
description: "A Swedish court recognized the legality of the arrest of the cargo ship Caffa and allowed its transfer to Ukraine. The vessel is suspected of illegally exporting grain from occupied territories and violating safety regulations. 🇺🇦🚢🌾"
date: 2026-06-06T01:28:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/swedish-court-allows-transfer-of-cargo-ship-caffa-to-ukraine
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Swedish court allows transfer of cargo ship Caffa to Ukraine: details of arrest and investigation

![Combine harvester gathering wheat in a field, symbolizing Ukrainian grain exports blocked due to the arrest of the cargo ship Caffa](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/06/sud-v-svecii-razreshil-peredat-ukraine-suhogruz-caffa/sud-v-svecii-razreshil-peredat-ukraine-suhogruz-caffa-1.webp)

A court in Sweden has issued a ruling allowing the transfer of the cargo ship *Caffa* to the Ukrainian side. This step is taken as part of an investigation into a possible war crime related to the illegal export of grain from temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The decision marks an important stage in the case, which began with the arrest of the vessel by Swedish authorities in March of this year.

### Legitimacy of the arrest and safety violations

According to Reuters, the Swedish court recognized the arrest of the vessel as legal, carried out by the Swedish police and coast guard in the Baltic Sea. During the preliminary investigation, it was found that the cargo ship was sailing under a false flag. In addition, the vessel violated maritime safety regulations due to its poor technical condition.

The ship's owner, the company *Caffa Shipping Limited*, attempted to challenge the actions of the Swedish authorities and secure the release of the vessel. However, the court rejected the request for release, confirming the justification for the detention.

### Suspicions of war crimes

Ukraine is seeking the transfer of *Caffa* as key evidence in the investigation of a possible war crime. This concerns the appropriation and export of property from territories captured by Russian troops. The Swedish court noted that such actions may fall under the definition of a war crime according to Swedish legislation.

Prosecutor Håkan Larsson confirmed that the court recognized the legality of the arrest and opened the possibility of transferring the vessel to Ukraine. However, the decision has not yet entered into final force: the ship owners have three weeks to file an appeal.

### Details of the arrest and crew

According to the Swedish police, the cargo ship was detained in March near the city of Trelleborg. The vessel is 96 meters long. The majority of the 11 crew members are Russian citizens. The Ukrainian side links the vessel's activities to the illegal export of grain from occupied Crimea and other captured territories. Previously, *Caffa* had already been added to Ukraine's sanctions list.

Previously, the Office of the President of Ukraine revealed the mechanisms by which Russia appropriates Ukrainian grain and then exports it abroad. The arrest by Swedish authorities became one of the first cases where international law enforcement directly addressed this issue.