Russian Captain Arrested After Norwegian Cargo Ship Collision Kills Woman And Child Off Sweden

Swedish prosecutors have arrested the captain of a Norwegian-flagged cargo ship after a collision with a recreational boat off Sweden’s west coast killed a woman and her young daughter. The captain is suspected of negligence in marine traffic and causing the deaths.

The vessel involved, Misje Verde, is a Norwegian-flagged cargo ship with a capacity of 5,300 deadweight tonnes.

The 90-metre ship was built in 2023 and was travelling from Uddevalla in Sweden to Kragero in Norway when the collision happened late on Tuesday night, July 28, in the Kattegat area north of Gothenburg.

The ship has seven crew members on board, including the captain, and all are Russian nationals, according to the vessel’s operator, Norwegian shipping company Misje.

Four people were aboard the recreational boat at the time of the accident- a man, a woman and two children. Another boat operator nearby responded after hearing screams and reported the incident to Swedish authorities.

The Swedish Coast Guard and the Swedish Sea Rescue Society were sent to the area near Tjörn in the Skagerrak. A man and his young son were rescued from the water and later taken to hospital after being transferred to a Coast Guard vessel.

The woman and her daughter were reported missing after the collision. Search teams continued operations through Tuesday night and resumed efforts on Wednesday.

Later that day, authorities found the wreck of the recreational boat and recovered the woman’s body. The child’s body was found on Thursday.

Swedish Coast Guard officials and police from Gothenburg boarded the Misje Verde early Wednesday and questioned the crew. Investigators also collected data from the ship’s voyage data recorder (VDR), commonly known as the vessel’s black box.

The cargo ship was initially detained and anchored in Hakefjorden while authorities carried out their investigation. The detention was later lifted, and the vessel was allowed to leave the area on Friday, according to Swedish media reports.

Prosecutor James von Reis said the captain was arrested on Thursday evening due to concerns over a possible flight risk because he lives outside the Nordic countries and the European Union.

Prosecutors also said there was a risk of interference with the investigation, including possible influence over witnesses.

Under Swedish law, prosecutors have until noon on Sunday, August 2, to decide whether to formally charge the captain. He will either remain in custody or be released.

The Swedish Accident Investigation Board has also started a separate investigation into the collision. Investigator Björn Ramstedt said authorities had downloaded the ship’s VDR with assistance from police but had not yet reviewed the recordings.

The VDR may contain bridge audio recordings and other information that could help investigators understand what happened before the collision.

Authorities will also examine the ship’s navigation bridge, radar settings, electronic charts and the damaged recreational boat.

The Swedish pilot aboard the Misje Verde has said he did not notice anything during the accident. Ulf Eriksson, acting pilot area manager for Marstrand and Lysekil, said the pilot had gone through the incident several times and was affected by the fact that nothing had been detected.

References: swedenherald, the local