A dry bulk vessel ran aground off the coast of Landskrona in the Öresund Strait, Sweden, marking the second such incident in the area within a week.
The latest grounding occurred on the morning of 31 May and has prompted both environmental and safety investigations by Swedish authorities.
Oil Spill Prevented, Cause Still Unknown
Following the grounding, an initial search and rescue operation was carried out by the Swedish Maritime Administration before control was handed over to the Coast Guard. The vessel, which was carrying nearly 938,000 liters of oil, did not suffer any oil leakage—a critical outcome that prevented a potential environmental hazard.
Coast Guard teams boarded the vessel to conduct crew interviews and sobriety checks. However, the exact cause of the grounding remains unclear. According to local sources, traffic surveillance authorities noticed the vessel was straying from the designated shipping lane and attempted to issue a warning around 10 a.m. local time. The warning went unanswered, either due to a delayed response or a lack of action from the crew.
Recurring Safety Concerns and Investigations
This grounding follows a similar incident on 25 May, also in the Öresund area. In that earlier case, the incident is being treated as a suspected case of gross negligence, and one individual has been taken into custody by the Swedish Coast Guard.
Notably, both vessels involved in these recent groundings have a history of deficiencies reported during past port state inspections. In one such case, a vessel was previously detained for over two weeks in the UK due to structural defects, fire safety issues, and crew training lapses, although a later inspection in May 2025 in Spain found no irregularities.
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Source: Safety4Sea
