After a cargo ship ran aground off Helsingborg, Sweden, local authorities managed to refloat it, with no pollution reported. The Swedish Coast Guard also performed a sobriety test on the Master of the ship and it handed the case over to the police, as it was suspecting that he was under the influence.
The ship was loaded with 5000 tonnes of wheat, when it grounded last Friday, heading to the port of Helsingborg. After the grounding, the Swedish Coast Guard carried out a sobriety test on the master and subsequently handed the case to the police, as the master is suspected of being under the influence and for gross negligence in maritime traffic.
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Traffic monitoring in Öresund noted that the ship was in the wrong direction, but did not respond to calls. In fact, a tugboat nearby tried to catch the master’s attention, but without success.
After the incident, a Coast Guard diver examined the hull without finding any damage, either from the inside or outside, while no oil spill was reported as well.
The ship is now towed to the port, with the Swedish Coast Guard saying that the owner needs to inspect the hull and to decide if the ship can continue sailing or if it needs to go to a shipyard.
Before this incident, on Monday 23 July, the Panama-flagged 139-meter ship was en route from Germany’s port of Cuxhaven to the Swedish port of Sodertalje, south of Stockholm, loaded with approximately 1,325 vehicles, when it ran aground in an archipelago north of Vastervik on the Baltic Sea.
Last week, the towing operation of the grounded car carrier started for Oskarshamn, according to the Swedish Coast Guard. The towing took place in a speed of two knots and is followed by Coast Guard units in case any oil is released.
