A British citizen is to be held in custody for another two weeks on suspicion of being drunk on a Scottish ship involved in a fatal collision in the Baltic Sea, Swedish prosecutors have confirmed.
Inverness-registered Scot Carrier collided with the Danish ship Karin Hoej south of Ystad, close to the Danish island of Bornholm, on Monday at about 2.30am (GMT).
The Danish cargo ship capsized after the incident which prompted a major rescue mission, including a helicopter and ships.
At 3pm, the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) confirmed that a body had been found inside the Karin Hoej as it was being towed to shore on Monday afternoon, but another other person is still reported missing.
A British and a Croatian citizen were arrested on potential charges of “gross negligence in maritime traffic, aggravated drunken seafaring” and causing another person’s death.
On Thursday, prosecutor Tomas Olvmyr said a court hearing at the Malmo District Court in Sweden found the British citizen, born in 1991, “likely committed the three crimes”.
He has been remanded in custody for a further two weeks.
The Croatian national, born in 1965, was being held on suspicion of “gross sea drunkenness”, but the Swedish Prosecution Authority confirmed he has since been released, despite remaining a suspect.
Earlier this week, Scotline Marine Holdings Limited (SMH), owners and managers of Scot Carrier, said crew aboard the vessel were tested for drugs and alcohol after the collision and “two crew members exceeded the limit”.
It remains unclear whether the company was referring to the Briton and Croatian, or other crew members.
According to the website MarineTraffic, Scot Carrier was travelling from Salacgriva in Latvia to Montrose in Scotland, while the Karin Hoej had left Sodertalje in Sweden for Nykoebing Falster in Denmark.
A spokesperson for SMH said the company wishes to express “deep sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the families of the two crew members of the Karin Hoej who have been affected by this most tragic incident”.
The spokesperson added: “The crew and company are co-operating fully with the investigation which is being undertaken by the Swedish, Danish and British authorities.”
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