Swedish court sentences Russian ship captain and pilot in fatal accident

A court in Gothenburg has sentenced the captain of a ship, a Russian citizen, and the pilot, a Swedish citizen, to suspended sentences for unintentionally causing a fatal accident.

This sentence is a precedent for the shipping industry, writes Gospodarka Morska.

The cargo ship Misje Verde, flying the Norwegian flag, collided with a motorboat carrying a family of four at the end of July this year. The boat sank, rescuers managed to save the father and son, but the bodies of the deceased mother and daughter were found a few days later.

The prosecutor’s office demanded that the captain and the pilot, who was on board, be sentenced to imprisonment, but the court handed down suspended sentences. The men were found guilty of unintentionally causing the death of two people and causing bodily harm to two others, as well as violating the rules of maritime navigation. In addition, the pilot will have to pay a fine.

During the court hearing, it was not possible to establish who was responsible for the observation at the time of the accident, as the men blamed each other.

“This case is a precedent for maritime shipping: for the first time a pilot has also been convicted, although it is the captain who is responsible for the safety of the vessel. For this reason, the pilot’s lawyer announced his intention to appeal the verdict in a higher court,” the report said.