It was at the end of September 2022 that a private party found themselves on Vinga in the Gothenburg archipelago to, among other things, fish for lobsters. The whole thing was arranged by a representative of a company that organizes group trips to sea in a RIB boat, but it was not supposed to be a commercial arrangement.
During the day, both the passengers and the responsible captain had been drinking alcohol, and despite increasing winds and the fact that there were not enough life jackets for everyone, ten people set out to sea to check the lobster pots, writes Göteborgs-Posten.
When a rope got tangled in the propeller, the boat in heavy seas began to drift towards the cliffs. Five of those on board managed to get ashore while the other five ended up in the water. A 50-year-old man died in the accident.
According to the district court, the responsible captain has been found guilty of negligence in maritime traffic, maritime intoxication, and causing another person's death, and points to several circumstances that led to his failure to exercise good seamanship.
The captain would later provide a sample that showed an alcohol content of 0.49 per mille. The limit for maritime intoxication is 0.1 per mille. The man has consistently denied all allegations.
