"I have determined that the pilot does not need to be detained during the ongoing criminal investigation. Unlike the ship's master, there is no specific reason for the pilot to be detained, which is required for detention," senior prosecutor James von Reis says in a press release.
It has been almost a week since a child and a woman died when, according to the prosecutor, a recreational boat was "run over" by the Norwegian freighter Misje Verde outside Tjörn.
Four people, a man and a woman and two young children, were on board. The man and one child were rescued by private individuals who had anchored nearby for the night. Both were taken to hospital. The man was released from hospital on Monday, while the child's condition was described as stable.
On Tuesday, the Prosecution Authority announced that the operator of the pleasure boat had been questioned on several occasions. First at the hospital and then in a longer interrogation after discharge.
Access to the black box
As for the investigation into the incident, more images of the stricken pleasure boat have been reviewed. According to the prosecutor, this supports the view that the boat was run over. The police have also been given access to the information in the freighter's so-called black box.
The captain of the cargo ship has previously been in custody, suspected on probable cause of manslaughter. The captain, who denies the crime, is also suspected of negligence in traffic.
On Tuesday, it emerged that the pilot, who belongs to the Swedish Maritime Administration and was on board at the time of the accident, has also been questioned as a suspect for negligence in traffic and causing the death of another person. The pilot is reasonably suspected, the lower level of suspicion.
"He denies both suspicions but is fully cooperating with the police to clarify what happened in the tragic accident. His thoughts go out to the affected family and the terrible situation they find themselves in," writes defense lawyer Thomas Håkansson in a text message to TT.
“Did not notice anything unusual”
Björn Alverfeldt, press spokesperson at the Swedish Maritime Administration, does not want to go into any further details about the case or the pilot's actions.
We can only repeat what we have said from the start, which is that he did not notice anything unusual. If he had, of course, the journey would have been interrupted and the alarm raised, he says.
TT has contacted the prosecutor in the case, but he says he is not available for interviews.
