Scandinavian Star Fire Victims' Relatives Appeal Danish Authority's Acquittal

All 47 survivors and relatives involved in the compensation case following the Scandinavian Star ferry fire are appealing the Danish Maritime Authority's acquittal. The authority had been cleared by a court in Næstved in May, which rejected compensation claims of 450,000 Danish kroner for each plaintiff.

Lawyer Lisa Edl Dalgas, representing the 47 plaintiffs, confirmed the appeal to Ritzau. The devastating fire in April 1990 claimed the lives of 159 people, 136 of whom were Norwegian citizens.

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Søfartsstyrelsen ble frifunnet i en domstol i byen Næstved i mai. Kravet om erstatning på 450.000 danske kroner til hver av saksøkerne ble avvist.

The May court ruling concluded that the Danish Maritime Authority had no obligation to conduct a port state control inspection and that subsequent investigations into the fire's causes were adequate. However, the plaintiffs contend that the court disregarded findings from two reports which concluded the opposite.

A new report commissioned by the Danish Ministry of Industry in 2022 indicated that the Danish Maritime Authority should have conducted a port state control inspection of the Scandinavian Star before it was put into regular service. This report's findings directly challenge the basis of the court's acquittal, leading to the current appeal.

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Den konkluderte med at Søfartsstyrelsen burde ha foretatt en såkalt havnestatskontroll av Scandinavian Star før ferja ble satt i ordinær trafikk.