UK Sentences Master and Shipping Company for 2021 Fatal Incident

The Southampton Crown Court, UK, on Friday, February 14, sentenced the master of a North Sea cargo ship and the company operating the vessel for their involvement in causing a fatal accident in 2021. The master, who was reported to have been on his first voyage in command, pleaded guilty to failing to operate the vessel following the safety management plan while the shipping company was found guilty in a four-week trial for failing to operate its ships safely.

The trial stemmed from the December 13, 2021, incident when the Scot Carrier, a 4,700 dwt general cargo ship, collided with a small, self-propeller Danish barge the Karin Høj. They were sailing in the busy shipping lane between Denmark and Sweden and the small barge capsized killing the two crewmembers aboard.

Swedish authorities immediately said they suspected drunkenness and detained the Scot Carrier after the vessel initially left the scene of the collision. The ship’s second offic…