Officer Charged With Gross Negligence For Using Phone After Ship Grounds In Sweden

bulker Ali Aykin — Image Credits: Swedish Coast Guard

A deck officer from the bulk carrier Ali Aykin has been charged with gross negligence in maritime traffic after the ship ran aground off the coast of Sweden in May 2025.

Prosecutors allege the officer was using his mobile phone during his night shift, while navigating without proper equipment or assistance.

The incident happened in the early morning of May 25 as the vessel, registered under a foreign flag, was sailing from Gdansk, Poland, to Setúbal, Portugal. It was carrying a cargo of scrap metal and had about 69,000 liters (around 18,000 gallons) of diesel fuel onboard.

Around 12:15 a.m., the vessel entered the Øresund Strait but missed the entrance to the designated shipping channel and instead veered northwest. By 1:00 a.m., the ship ran aground on a charted shoal located just south of the Øresund Bridge, near Klagshamn, south of Malmö.

Authorities launched a salvage operation after the grounding due to concerns over the large amount of diesel fuel onboard. The operation faced difficulties because one of the ballast tanks had flooded.

Despite the complications, the vessel was successfully refloated with the help of tugboats during the night of June 4 to 5 and was escorted to the port of Malmö.

According to the formal charges filed by Swedish prosecutors, the officer on duty was operating the vessel in darkness without a functioning echo sounder and without the support of either a lookout or the ship’s master. He is also accused of using his cell phone during the period leading up to the grounding.

The officer, who is a foreign citizen, has denied the accusations. Swedish public broadcaster SVT Skåne reported that he does not admit to any wrongdoing. Authorities are continuing their investigation.

Reference: swedenherald

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