Sweden’s Supreme Court Approves Transfer of Seized Caffa Vessel to Ukraine

The vessel, owned by Caffa Shipping Limited, was originally intercepted due to multiple maritime violations, including sailing under a false flag and failing to meet basic ship safety standards. However, the legal focus quickly shifted to a more serious criminal probe. Ukrainian investigators suspect the ship was used to facilitate the theft of grain, an act classified by lower Swedish courts as a potential war crime involving the appropriation of property from occupied regions.

With the Supreme Court’s decision, the previous ruling by the Court of Appeal stands as the final word. Swedish authorities are now cleared to hand over both the physical vessel and associated evidence to assist Ukraine’s ongoing legal proceedings. At the time of the vessel's seizure, police reported that the majority of the 11-member crew were Russian nationals.