Briton ordered held by Sweden court in deadly ship collision
A British national has been ordered held in pre-trial custody suspected of being drunk on the British freighter that collided with a Danish freighter off southern Sweden that left one person dead and one missing
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A British national has been ordered to be held in pretrial custody suspected of being drunk on the British freighter that collided with a Danish freighter off southern Sweden earlier this week, leaving one person dead and one missing.
The man was a crew member on the Scot Carrier that collided Monday with Danish-flagged Karin Hoej, causing the latter to capsize. One person was later found dead inside the hull and another is missing. The pre-dawn collision happened in foggy weather.
The Malmo District Court in southern Sweden on Thursday formally arrested the Briton, who wasn't named. He is suspected of aggravated sea drunkenness, aggravated negligence in maritime traffic and causing another person’s death. The man in his 30s has acknowledged negligence. But his defense lawyer, Fredrik Kjellin, said his client denies causing another person’s death in aggravated circumstances.
Earlier this week, the British shipping company said the Scot Carrier crew was tested for drugs and alcohol after the collision and “two crew members exceeded the limit.” It wasn’t clear whether they were referring to the Briton or other crew members.
A Croatian crew member who is suspected of “gross sea drunkenness” was briefly detained but was later released Wednesday. He was born in 1965.
Media in Sweden have reported that the Scot Carrier continued its route after the collision and was afterwards ordered back to the scene by Swedish authorities. The capsized vessel was towed closer to land so divers from the Swedish armed forces and the coast guard, among others, could search it.