Sweden releases boarded Russian freighter after customs inspection

Swedish customs has released a Russian ship it boarded over the weekend in order to perform an inspection, with marine tracking data on Monday showing the vessel was on the move again.

The customs service said on Sunday that authorities had boarded the Adler, a Russian freighter, that anchored in Swedish waters near Hoganas in south-west Sweden on Friday after developing engine problems.

"The prosecutor has decided not to open an investigation into suspected violation of sanctions," a spokesperson for the customs service said. "The ship has therefore been allowed to go on its way."

In addition to the Adler being on a European Union sanctions list, the vessel and its owners M Leasing LLC are both subject to U.S. sanctions, suspected of involvement in weapons transport, according to OpenSanctions, a database of sanctioned companies and individuals, persons of interest and government watchlists.

The customs service declined to say what cargo the Adler, which left St Petersburg on December 15 for an unknown destination, had been carrying.

LSEG tracking data showed the ship travelling north up the west coast of Sweden.