STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden is investigating a sanctioned tanker that is suspected of being part of the sanctioned Russian “shadow fleet,” according to the Scandinavian country's civil defense minister.
The Swedish Coast Guard said it boarded and detained the Jin Hui on Sunday on suspicion of flying a false flag while transiting Swedish waters.
The vessel was sailing through the Baltic Sea under a Syrian flag, the coast guard said in a statement. There are also concerns about the vessel’s seaworthiness.
The Jin Hui — which remained anchored off Trelleborg on Monday — is currently on European Union, U.K. and Ukraine sanctions lists, Sweden's Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin wrote on X.
The ship’s captain, a Chinese citizen, was arrested on suspicion of using a false document and other offenses, Swedish prosecutors said Monday.
It is the fifth vessel seizure by Sweden's coast guard in recent weeks.
“Ships with suspected deficiencies in their seaworthiness continue to sail in Swedish waters,” said Daniel Stenling, the coast guard's deputy chief of operations. “This is not acceptable. We have intervened before, now we are intervening again.”
Russia's ambassador to Sweden, Sergey Belyaev, said in a statement Wednesday that the Jin Hui is not operating under the Russian flag, and said Swedish authorities told the embassy there were no Russians on board.
The statement did not directly address the allegation regarding the shadow fleet.
Sweden last year said it would step up insurance checks on foreign ships, aimed at tightening controls on Russian vessels suspected of transporting oil and gas or carrying stolen Ukrainian grain.
The Swedish Coast Guard, together with Swedish Police, boards the Jin Hui, a tanker sailing under a suspected false flag in the Baltic Sea, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (Swedish Coast Guard via AP)
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel is back in Pittsburgh and recovering after collapsing on the team's flight back from Utah earlier this week.
Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said Thursday the 19-year-old Kindel fell ill about 10 minutes after the club left Salt Lake City on Tuesday at the end of a four-game road trip. Team medical personnel attended to Kindel immediately and he quickly regained consciousness.
The plane turned back to the airport for an emergency landing, and Kindel was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital for observation before being released on Wednesday.
Kindel had a vasovagal episode, which is marked by a sharp drop in heart rate and blood pressure, according to Dubas. Kindel was undergoing further testing at the team complex in an effort to determine what caused him to faint. Dubas said to his knowledge that Kindel had no previous history of collapsing.
Dubas, who met with Kindel on Thursday morning, described the teenager as “very clearly shaken.”
The Penguins placed the 2025 first-round pick on injured reserve, and while there is no timetable for his return, Dubas added the club is optimistic Kindel could be cleared to work out by the end of the weekend, pending test results.
“We will obviously follow very strict guidelines to ensure a safe return to training and play for Ben,” Dubas said. “That’s our primary goal and paramount to his future and health, so that’s how we will handle it.”
Kindel has two points and two assists in nine games this season for Pittsburgh. He played nearly 19 minutes during a loss to Utah on Monday night.
The Penguins canceled practice on Wednesday while the team provided off-ice resources for the players. The club was back at practice for a morning skate Thursday ahead of a visit by the Florida Panthers at PPG Paints Arena.
“Whether you like it or not, the show goes on tonight,” Dubas said. “And so we have to gear up and get ready for that. And that’s the number one: take care of our people. And the number two: put them in a place to perform.”
Kindel's medical scare marked the latest setback during a particularly difficult stretch for the Penguins both on and off the ice.
Pittsburgh forward Andrei Kuzmenko's father died in a remote part of Russia last month after being attacked by a bear while on a fishing trip. And the Penguins sit at 3-6-1 through 10 games, among the worst records in the Eastern Conference.
While the franchise is no stranger to navigating real-world issues — from Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux's cancer battle in the early 1990s to defenseman Kris Letang dealing with a pair of strokes potentially related to a heart condition more recently — longtime captain Sidney Crosby said there's no “blueprint” for how to handle things.
“I think everyone tries to do their best to support each other and be there,” Crosby said. “You know, it’s one of those things where they try to make the best of difficult situations. And we’re a family here.”
Crosby added it was a relief to see Kindel at the facility on Thursday after the jarring image of one of the team's young cornerstones momentarily losing consciousness.
“It’s one of those things you don’t really see happen that often," he said. “So everyone handled it great and we're happy to be here today getting ready for another game.”
While Kindel could be back in the near future, the Penguins will be without two-time Stanley Cup champion forward Bryan Rust until at least December.
The 34-year-old joined Kindel on injured reserve Thursday with a lower-body injury. Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said Rust, who has three goals and two assists in seven games, will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
The Penguins filled the open roster spots created by Kindel and Rust's absence by calling up forward Rutger McGroarty and defenseman Chase Pietila from their American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
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FILE - Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel plays in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Oct. 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
