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Danish authorities reported placing the helmsman of a general cargo ship under arrest on Monday evening after the vessel he was controlling hit a docked sailboat and then proceeded to knock down lampposts and bollards as it hit the dock in Korsør, Denmark. No one was injured in what one official described as a "parking accident."
The general cargo ship Olymp Trader (4,684 dwt) was arriving in Denmark from Wismar, Germany, at around 2000 local time on June 8. The video appears to show the vessel attempting to back into the dock with a strong wake from its prop. It is also fitted with a bow thruster. The ship is 104 meters (341 feet).
As the ship was maneuvering into the berth, the German couple aboard the sailboat said it became evident it was heading for their boat, and they jumped to safety on the pier. They watched as their boat was crushed by the hull of the cargo ship and its mast bent over to a 45-degree angle.
The cargo ship kept going, knocking down the lights and a bollard and striking the dock before coming to a stop.
The police boarded the cargo ship and spoke with the chief officer, who was at the helm, and asked him to take a breathalyzer. The head of local police reports the crewmember, who is a 54-year-old Russian citizen, tested with a blood alcohol level of "one thousandth above" the legal limit.
The officer was taken into custody, and the police administered a blood test at their headquarters. He was charged with a violation of the Maritime Act and released after about an hour in detention. Under Danish law, he is facing up to two years in jail for the violation and, depending on the circumstances, can lose his mariner's license.
TV2 News posted the full video taken by the German couple as their sailboat was damaged. They reported they were taking a multi-week trip around Denmark as a farewell to sailing after 14 years of sailing on their boat. They told the TV station they were taking a train home and did not want to sail again. Furthermore, they believe their boat sustained more than €100,000 in damages.
The news channel reached the agents for the ship, Baltic Shipping, which reported that the vessel is owned by a company in Latvia. It appears from the databases that the ship, which was built in 2002, was just acquired in April 2026. The CEO of Baltic Shipping told TV2 News that a third-party staffing agency was responsible for crewing the ship and that the officer had either been dismissed or would be dismissed for violating their strict no alcohol rules.
The Danish Maritime Authority ordered the Olymp Trader detained for a full inspection of the ship. The Maritime Accident Investigation Board is conducting the investigation. The shipping company said they expected the ship would be released quickly and would continue to Rander, Denmark, with a new helmsman.
Fuente: The Maritime Executive
