The unexpected decision was made after Sweden did not have enough evidence to prove that the ship violated the environment.
On April 4, the Swedish Coast Guard said it had allowed the oil tanker Flora 1 to leave its territorial waters, after investigations failed to prove environmental violations.
Previously, this ship was arrested on April 3 on suspicion of being the source of a 12km long oil slick off Gotland Island.
According to Swedish officials, Flora 1 was intercepted in the Baltic Sea while moving from the Russian port of Primorsk with an unclear destination. Maritime data shows that the ship may belong to the "dark fleet" - a network of old oil tankers, often not fully insured, believed to be used by Russia to evade sanctions and maintain energy revenue.
The Swedish prosecutor's office confirmed that it had questioned the crew and announced suspicion that 2 individuals were involved in environmental violations.
Necessary investigation measures have been carried out, but there is no basis to apply coercive measures" - this agency said, while emphasizing that it is not possible to prove the act of discharging pollution.
After the verification process, officials also confirmed that the ship was registered in Cameroon, thereby eliminating the possibility of continuing to hold the ship for investigation. "Flora 1 is currently allowed to leave Sweden" - coast guard forces announced.
Although the incident did not lead to official accusations, it continues to raise concerns in Europe about the activities of the Russian "dark fleet". Swedish Minister of Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin warned that these types of ships pose major security and environmental risks.
According to Mr. Bohlin, old, uninsured oil tankers can cause serious oil spills, threatening the Baltic Sea ecosystem.
In recent years, many European countries have strengthened surveillance and control of ships suspected of being related to this network. However, Russia criticized those moves as "hostile" and politically motivated.
