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One year before Tjörn accident: Swedish pilot flagged negligence on the ship
🇸🇪 Sweden /Crime & Justice

One year before Tjörn accident: Swedish pilot flagged negligence on the ship

From Dagens Nyheter · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Documents & data Context piece
  • A Swedish pilot flagged negligence on the ship Misje Verde a year before it was involved in a fatal accident in Uddevalla.
  • The pilot noted the ship's failure to input its route into the digital navigation system ECDIS, an international requirement.
  • The shipping company stated the report was unknown to them and that current crews differ, while emphasizing that the 2025 incident is unrelated to the later Tjörn tragedy.

A Swedish pilot raised concerns about the Norwegian-flagged vessel Misje Verde a year before it was involved in a fatal collision, according to documents obtained by Dagens Nyheter. The incident occurred in March 2025 when the ship entered Frölandshamnen in Uddevalla during challenging conditions: darkness, strong winds, and high waves.

All ships over 70 meters long must have a voyage plan. It is an international requirement. The route must be planned and entered into the system before the ship starts its journey. Then the system double-checks that the crew has not missed, for example, safety distances and safety depths.

— Fredrik HjortLecturer in maritime science at Linné University, explaining the importance of ECDIS route planning.

During the ship's first visit to Uddevalla, the pilot observed that the 90-meter-long dry cargo ship had not inputted its route plan into the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). This is a mandatory international requirement for all vessels over 70 meters, ensuring the system can cross-check safety distances and depths.

It is very risky and also illegal to set out on a journey without knowing how it will proceed.

— Fredrik HjortLecturer in maritime science at Linné University, on the risks of not planning a route.

Fredrik Hjort, a lecturer in maritime science at Linné University, explained that it is "very risky and also illegal to set out on a journey without knowing how it will proceed." Fredrik Olindersson, head of studies at Chalmers School of Maritime Sciences, echoed this sentiment, stating he would never captain a large vessel without a voyage plan due to the need for foresight with slow-maneuvering ships.

I would never captain a large vessel without a voyage plan.

— Fredrik OlinderssonHead of studies at Chalmers School of Maritime Sciences, on the necessity of route planning.

Roald Misje, CEO of the shipping company, expressed surprise upon learning of the report, claiming it was new and unknown to him. He stated that the crew onboard is now entirely different, making it difficult to comment on the past event. Misje asserted that it is standard practice for the company's vessels to always create a route plan and that the March 2025 events are unrelated to the tragic accident near Tjörn later that year.

Now the crew is completely different, so it is very difficult for me to comment on this.

— Roald MisjeCEO of the shipping company, explaining the difficulty in commenting on past events due to crew changes.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dagens Nyheter in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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