Fatal collision between Danish and British vessels

One of two Danish crew members who were missing from a capsized barge has been found dead in the hull after an overnight collision on Monday with a British cargo vessel in a busy Baltic Sea route off Sweden.

The 55-metre Karin Hoj barge and 90-metre Scot Carrier were sailing in the same direction off the island of Bornholm when they crashed in fog and darkness at 3.30 a.m. (0230 GMT), according to maritime agencies in Denmark and Sweden.

At least nine boats and a helicopter combed waters near the wreckage-strewn site, while the overturned Karin Hoj was towed away to shallower waters so Swedish divers could investigate the hull without risk of being dragged down.

It is impossible to survive for long without protective gear in the sea temperatures of around 4 Celsius, but there had been hope that the pair could have survived inside an air pocket within the hull.

However, the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) and the police said one person was found dead on the boat, while the other was still missing.

Criminal investigation

Though there was fog at the time of the accident, the Danish Meteorological Institute claims it was not dense and conditions were not unusual for the time of year.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority stated that a preliminary investigation was underway to verify several possible crimes: gross negligence in maritime traffic, death through negligence, and marine intoxication.

It also said that, even though two suspects had already been taken into custody, no further details were available.

With events seeming to have unfolded fast, the Danish Defence’s Joint Operations Centre (JOC) affirms that there was no sign of lifeboats or other emergency equipment being used by the Karin Hoj’s two-person crew.

The British ship’s owner Scotline said it could not comment on details but was assisting local authorities.

Source: Reuters

To read the complete original article, access the link: https://www.reuters.com/world/two-cargo-ships-have-collided-baltic-sea-swedish-public-broadcaster-2021-12-13/

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