Swedish Prosecutors Extend Detention of Captain in Fatal Boating Collision
Swedish prosecutors on Thursday, August 13, asked the court for a two-week extension of the detention of the captain of the cargo ship Misje Verde as they continue to analyze evidence. They said that the criminal suspicions against both the captain and the pilot remain, asking the court to extend the deadline for an indictment until August 28.
They reported that police have completed the collection of key evidence, including downloading the vessel’s VDR (Voice Data Recorder). Based on the data and interviews, they have also revised the timeline of the incident, saying they now believe the cargo ship likely struck the small pleasure boat from behind at approximately 9:27 p.m. on July 28.
The timing is about half an hour earlier than the previous scenarios, which the police said was based on the timing of the first emergency call. The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet is reporting that the cargo ship did not stop and asserts it was not aware of the collision until the police asked the vessel to stop and anchor. The paper writes that the pilot left the cargo ship at 9:55 p.m. and the emergency call came shortly after 10 p.m.
“I believe that all relevant factual circumstances surrounding the accident have now been clarified,” said senior prosecutor James von Reis. He said he believes they now have the information to make a decision based on the Rules of the Sea and other standards for shipping to determine who caused the collision and possibly indictments.
The most important investigative measures that have been carried out, they reported, are the analysis of target tracks from the merchant ship and the two pleasure boats, which show the exact route and speed according to GPS and AIS data. In addition, the cargo ship's VDR has been printed and analyzed. The analysis includes, in particular, audio files with all the conversations on the bridge as well as film sequences with radar images and the electronic nautical chart that was displayed in real time on the ship's bridge.
The investigation has also included a technical examination of the sunken and salvaged pleasure boat. Statements have been obtained from the Swedish Board of Forensic Medicine on the causes of death and the injuries sustained by the survivors in the accident.
Several interviews have also been held, including with the suspects. Prosecutors said it is also clear that alcohol or drugs were not present in any of the people involved in the accident.
The Misje Verde was sailing to Norway and was in a busy shipping area near Tjörn, an island on the west coast of Sweden north of Gothenburg. Two adults and two children were in the small pleasure boat when it was struck, and the father and his son were thrown into the water, and the mother and her daughter were killed. A second pleasure boat responded to the cries for help and pulled the man and child from the water.
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The police arrested the captain of the cargo ship and placed him in jail, noting that he is a Russian citizen and there was a danger that he would flee. The pilot was also charged, suspected of “reasonable suspicion,” the lower level of suspicion under Swedish law, for negligence in maritime traffic and causing the death of another.
The Misje Verde was initially detained during the investigation but later released. The ship has returned to service.
