Sweden arrests Chinese captain of suspected Russia-linked vessel

OSLO, May 4 (Reuters) - ‌The Chinese ​captain ​of a seized oil tanker with suspected Russian links has been placed under arrest ‌on suspicion of carrying false documents and ⁠of violating laws on seaworthiness, a Swedish prosecutor said on ‌Monday.

The coast guard and ‌police on Sunday boarded the Syrian-flagged Jin Hui in Swedish territorial waters.

The captain, who was not ​named, will be interrogated on Monday, Senior Prosecutor Adrien Combier-Hogg said in a statement.

Authorities said the ⁠vessel was believed to belong to the shadow fleet, a clandestine ​network of vessels Russia has used to evade Western sanctions imposed on it in ​response to the Ukraine war.

As ‌European nations have increased their efforts to disrupt the shadow fleet, Sunday's arrest ⁠of the Jin Hui was Sweden's fifth such action this year.

Russia has not commented on the latest action, ⁠but has previously condemned interceptions of its vessels as hostile.

It ​was not immediately known how the suspect responded to the ship's seizure or the accusations against him.

The coast guard said ‌the ship, whose destination was unclear and which was not thought to be ‌carrying a cargo, figured on several sanctions lists, ⁠including those of the ‌European Union and ​Britain.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo and Jesus Calero in Gdansk; editing by Barbara ‌Lewis)

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