Swedish Pilot Named Suspect in Fatal Cargo Ship Collision That Killed Two

Swedish prosecutors have expanded the criminal investigation into last month’s fatal collision between the Norwegian cargo ship Misje Verde and a pleasure boat by naming the vessel’s pilot as a criminal suspect alongside the ship’s master.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority announced Thursday that the pilot, who was assigned through the Swedish Maritime Administration’s compulsory pilotage service, is suspected on the lower Swedish standard of “reasonable suspicion” of negligent navigation and causing another person’s death. The pilot denies any wrongdoing.

The development comes just days after a Swedish court ordered the foreign master of Misje Verde detained on the higher standard of probable cause on suspicion of causing another person’s death. Prosecutors cited both flight risk and concerns that the master could interfere with the investigation. The indictment deadline has been set for August 14.

According to prosecutors, Misje Verde was operating under compulsory pilotage when the July 28 accident occurred. Under Swedish regulations, the pilot assists the master with the vessel’s safe navigation. Investigators now say the pilot played such an active role on the bridge that there are reasonable grounds to suspect the pilot also bears criminal responsibility.

“The master and the pilot have provided largely consistent accounts regarding the division of responsibilities on the bridge,” Senior Prosecutor James von Reis said in a statement.

Unlike the foreign master, the pilot has not been detained because prosecutors found no legal grounds for pretrial detention.

Cargo Ship Overtook Pleasure Boat

According to the prosecution’s reconstruction, the collision occurred after Misje Verde overtook the 7-8 meter cabin motorboat in Hakefjord, southwest of Gothenburg. Both vessels had been traveling south and west for some time, but the pleasure craft was moving significantly slower.

Prosecutors say the cargo ship struck the smaller vessel from astern, effectively running it over. The pleasure boat was pulled beneath the cargo ship, flooded, and sank immediately in approximately 20 meters (65 feet) of water between the islands of Katten and Lövön.

Four people were aboard the pleasure boat. An adult and a child escaped from the sinking vessel and were rescued by nearby recreational boaters anchored off Katten Island. Another adult and child died. Divers later recovered one victim from inside the sunken boat and the other nearby on the seabed.

Focus on COLREG Compliance

The investigation is centered on whether the bridge team complied with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs).

At the time of the accident, only the master and the pilot were on the bridge. Prosecutors said their respective responsibilities remain one of the central issues in the investigation.

Authorities are examining potential violations of Rule 5, which requires maintaining a proper lookout, and Rule 13, which requires an overtaking vessel to keep clear of the vessel being overtaken.

However, prosecutors noted that if heavy rain had significantly restricted visibility, Rule 19, governing conduct in restricted visibility, would apply instead of Rule 13. Rule 19 requires, among other things, a substantial reduction in speed. Authorities are also examining compliance with Rule 35, which requires vessels underway in restricted visibility to sound fog signals every two minutes. Prosecutors said it has been established that no sound signals were made.

Investigation Continues

Investigators have now obtained data from the cargo ship’s Voyage Data Recorder (VDR), or “black box,” which is being analyzed.

Prosecutors also said newly recovered images of the pleasure boat reinforce their initial assessment that it was effectively “run over” by the cargo ship. While the physical damage may appear to indicate a different angle of impact, they said that could be explained by the powerful hydrodynamic forces generated by a large vessel traveling at speed and does not change their assessment of potential negligence.

The operator of the pleasure boat has been interviewed by police both while hospitalized and again in a more extensive follow-up interview.

Prosecutors said they currently do not suspect the pleasure boat’s operator of violating any applicable navigation rules. They added that even if evidence later emerged suggesting a navigational violation, they would not seek criminal prosecution given the operator’s immense personal loss in the accident, citing provisions of Sweden’s Code of Judicial Procedure.

The investigation remains ongoing, with prosecutors declining further comment until additional evidence has been analyzed.

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