Prosecutors in Sweden have requested a local court to extend the detention of a ship captain whose vessel had been involved in a collision that killed two people late last month.
The Russian master of the Norwegian-flagged general cargo ship Misje Verde has been in the custody of Swedish authorities since July 30, 2026, two days after his vessel accidentally struck the stern of a recreational boat in the Kattegat just north of Gothenburg.
The cargo ship was en route to Norway and was in a busy area of the Kattegat when the collision occurred on the night (local time) of July 28.
The smaller vessel subsequently sank and all four people who were on board ended up in the water. Two of the occupants were safely rescued by the crew of a Good Samaritan boat.
The two other occupants, a woman and her young daughter, were initially reported missing. The bodies of these two victims, as well as the recreational vessel's wreckage, were found over the next three days.
Prosecutors have requested a two-week extension to the captain's detention after local police reported the collection of key pieces of evidence including Misje Verde's voyage data recorder and the recreational boat itself, which had since been salvaged.
Senior prosecutor James von Reis told local media that the collection of evidence means enough information is now available for determining the parties responsible for the collision.