Arrests made after fatal collision between Danish and British cargo ships

The Swedish coastguard has launched an investigation into a fatal collision between two cargo ships that left one crew member dead and another missing.

The incident occurred in the Baltic Sea between the southern Swedish city of Ystad and the Danish island of Bornholm.

The two ships involved were the 55-foot Danish cargo barge Karin Hoej and the 90-foot freighter Scot Carrier, which is registered in Britain.

The Scot Carrier was traveling to Montrose in Scotland from Latvia, while the Karin Hoej was en route to Nykobing Falster in southern Denmark from Sodertalje in Sweden.

Both vessels were travelling in the same direction but hit each other in dark, foggy conditions with the smaller ship capsizing while the British ship was largely unscathed.

One person was found dead onboard the Karin Hoej, while another is missing.

It has also been reported that the Scot Carrier did not immediately report the incident and continued to sail for 25 minutes before responding to a call from Swedish rescuers.

The British ship’s owner Scotline made no comment other than to say it is assisting local authorities.

The investigation initially focused on a case of negligence but the scope has since been widened to include accusations of aggravated drunkenness at sea, gross negligence in sea traffic and gross causing of death by negligence.

“Additional criminal suspicions have arisen, including gross sea intoxication,” stated the Swedish coastguard. “The coastguard is currently taking a number of investigative measures, including various types of coercive measures within the framework of the preliminary investigation.”

Two crew members from the British vessel Scot Carrier were arrested – a 30-year-old British crew member and a 56-year-old Croatian national who is chief officer.

The chief officer was subsequently released but the British citizen, the ship’s second officer, remains under arrest. According to the Swedish public prosecutor’s office, the “suspicions against him have not weakened”.

It is not the first time in recent years that a sailor has been accused of causing a crash through drunkenness.

In 2006, the skipper of a coastguard tug that ran aground off the coast of Scotland was jailed after pleading guilty to being drunk in charge of the vessel. The incident led to 84 tonnes of diesel being spilled into the North Sea and a cleanup cost in excess of £3m.

In 2012, the British master of a 681 dredger was jailed for eight months after crashing into a pier while drunk.

And in 2015, a Russian sailor crashed a 7,000-tonne cargo ship into the coast of Scotland at full speed after drinking half a bottle of rum and being eight times over the legal limit.