On 10 July 2014, the Danish fishing vessel INGER MARIE and the Maltese general cargo ship RIG collided approximately 11 nautical miles north-east of the Island of Læsø, Denmark. INGER MARIE foundered shortly after the collision and the skipper, who was the only crew member on board, perished.
The collision happened in good weather conditions and with little traffic in the area. Circumstances suggest that neither the skipper on INGER MARIE nor the watchkeeping officer on RIG were aware of the other ship’s presence and the risk of collision until moments before the collision. The watchkeeping officer on RIG tried to avoid the collision by turning to starboard, but the manoeuvre was too late. It is uncertain whether the skipper on INGER MARIE realized the risk of collision before the impact.
After the collision, the crew on RIG launched the rescue boat, but were not able to locate the skipper. Within an hour after the collision, the skipper was recovered by a Swedish rescue helicopter, but had already perished. He was brought to a hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The report can be downloaded in PDF format here.