Britt ordered held by Swedish court in fatal ship collision | Govt. & Politics
AP
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – A British citizen has been ordered to be detained on suspicion of being drunk on the British cargo ship that collided with a Danish cargo ship outside southern Sweden earlier this week and left one person dead and one missing.
The man was a crew member on Scot Carrier who on Monday collided with Danish-flagged Karin Hoej, which caused the latter to capsize. One person was later found dead inside the hull and another is missing. The collision before dawn occurred in foggy weather.
Malmö District Court in southern Sweden formally arrested the Briton, who was not named, on Thursday. He is suspected of gross sea drunkenness, gross negligence in sea traffic and causing the death of another. The man in his 30s has admitted negligence. But his defense lawyer Fredrik Kjellin said that his client denies that he caused someone else’s death under aggravated circumstances.
Earlier this week, the British shipping company said that Scot Carrier’s crew was tested for drugs and alcohol after the collision and that “two crew members exceeded the limit.” It was not clear if they were referring to the British or other crew members.
A Croatian crew member suspected of “gross sea drunkenness” was briefly arrested but released later on Wednesday. He was born in 1965.