A family - a man, a woman and two young children - were on board the pleasure boat when it was hit. The father and one of the children were rescued, but the mother and the other child died in the accident.
Both the Russian captain and the Swedish pilot of the Norwegian merchant ship Misje Verde are charged, suspected of causing death, causing bodily harm and negligence in maritime traffic.
The captain was sitting at the computer.
Shortly after they left the dock, the pilot took over navigation of the ship, according to him under the supervision of the captain. The captain remained on the bridge, but sat at a workstation and did tasks on a computer, more specifically registering working hours for the crew, after what he describes as an okay from the pilot. Sometimes he got up to look at the radar system.
"When we left Uddevalla ... I received verbal consent or confirmation from the pilot. No extra lookout would be needed. And the pilot confirmed verbally that he could steer the ship himself, alone," the captain says in questioning.
The captain says that the cooperation with the pilot worked well. The pilot describes the captain as communicative. Both say that they did not see the pleasure boat or notice the collision.
According to prosecutor James von Reis, the investigation has shown that the hit recreational boat was “clearly visible as a radar echo on the display on the bridge.” The Swedish Maritime Accident Investigation Board, which is investigating the accident, also confirms that both boats - another recreational boat was passed by the cargo ship at close range - were visible on the ship’s radar system before the accident occurred.
“Misunderstood his role”
According to the pilot, the captain had "good opportunities" to look out the window, but they had not agreed that he would have special lookout responsibilities.
Furthermore, the pilot, in response to a direct question about who among them is responsible for the lack of sufficient visibility to see the radar echo, says that it "should be the officer on duty on the bridge, that is, the master."
When the prosecutor says that the captain perceived it as if he was disconnected from the lookout function, the pilot responds:
"Then he has quite seriously misunderstood his role as officer on duty."
When asked who was in charge of the physical operation of the ship, the captain replies:
“The Pilot”
Both defendants deny the crime.
