After a collision with a Danish barge in the Baltic Sea that killed at least one person, two crew members of a British cargo ship were discovered to be over the legal alcohol limit, according to a Swedish prosecutor and the owner of the British ship.
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Early on Monday, in fog and darkness, the 55-meter Karin Hoj barge sank after colliding with the 90-meter Scot Carrier off the coast of Bornholm. One of the two Danish crew members was found dead in the hull of the wrecked barge. The other crew member remained missing, and rescue efforts were called off on Monday after ships and aircraft probed the seas in vain.
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The Swedish Prosecution Authority is looking into a number of possible offences, including maritime traffic negligence, causing death by negligence, and marine drunkenness. As part of the preliminary investigation, two members of the Scot Carrier’s crew, a Briton and a Croatian, remained in detention on Tuesday. The prosecutor has until Thursday to determine whether or not to keep the suspects in custody for another day.
Public Prosecutor Tomas Olvmyr told Reuters, “The suspects that are in custody have both tested positive for alcohol. One person is suspected of gross marine intoxication based on actions in connection with the accident.”
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With interviews slated for Tuesday afternoon, the lawyer representing the Croatian suspect had not yet spoken to his client. The British man in prison was on duty at the time of the accident, after which the smaller Danish ship capsized, and was suspected of various crimes, including causing death by negligence. The lawyer for the British citizen could not be reached for comment right away.
“As things look at present, the two ships have moved in parallel and then one of the ships has swerved and run into the other one,” Olvmyr said.
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Scotline, the Scot Carrier’s owner, said in a statement that it has a strict drug and alcohol policy in place with zero tolerance for any violations. On Monday, the flipped Karin Hoj was dragged into shallow water to allow divers access without fear of being pulled under if it sinks. The Swedish Coastguard intends to relocate it to a location where it may be turned upright again.