According to the ruling in the Gothenburg District Court, the pilot aboard the cargo ship Misje Verde took greater responsibility than required by the Pilotage Ordinance, and is therefore held jointly responsible for the failure of the lookout.
The Pilots' Association believes that the mistake he made could have been made by any of Sweden's 235 pilots. This is a completely normal pilotage that has gone terribly wrong, says chairman Ronny Löf.
“All of Europe is following”
That the situation ended as badly as it did is extremely unusual, according to Löf.
That it (the pleasure boat) was run over in this way, I would say is completely unique. My thoughts go out to the victims and their families. It is a terrible accident.
If the verdict also stands up in the Court of Appeal, it could have major consequences for the work of Swedish pilots in the future, Ronny Löf believes.
This is going to make waves. All of Europe is following this. It's a new interpretation of how it has worked.
“A deviation”
According to prosecutor James von Reis, pilots are unused to taking responsibility for their significant involvement during ongoing pilotage.
As a maritime prosecutor in western Sweden, I have experienced for many years that Swedish pilots are keen to pilot at least slightly smaller vessels themselves, he says.
It is actually a departure in Sweden and possibly in Scandinavia from pilotage practices in other countries, where pilots are always just an assistant.
