Norwegian cargo ship Misje Verde captain detained after fatal Tjörn collision

On 28 July the Norwegian‑registered bulk carrier Misje Verde collided with a 7–8 m leisure motorboat near the island of Tjörn in Swedish waters, between the islands Katten and Lövön in Kungälv municipality. The small boat was struck from behind, sucked under the cargo ship and sank to a depth of about 20–30 m. Divers later recovered the vessel and found two victims – a mother and her child – dead, while the father and son survived with serious injuries.

Swedish prosecutors, headed by senior prosecutor James von Reis, have placed the ship’s captain, a Russian citizen employed by a foreign shipping company, in pre‑trial detention on suspicion of negligent causing death. The court cited a risk of flight as the basis for the detention. The captain denies any wrongdoing. The indictment is due by 14 August, and investigators are reviewing possible breaches of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.