The captain and superintendent of the 3,041 dwt cargo ship Atlantic, which ran aground off the coast of Oskarshamn, Sweden on September 23, were taken into custody, according to the Swedish Coast Guard.

The two were suspected of negligence in maritime traffic following preliminary investigations into the incident.

Currently taking on water, the general cargo ship is loaded with 44,000 liters of diesel, 28,000 of which are located near the damaged area of the vessel. Relevant authorities are working on a salvage plan, including the removal of the diesel from the vessel, in order to avoid a possible oil spill in the area.

Diesel removal operations could start on September 26 as the officials are planning to send a barge to the grounding place. The shallow waters in the area are hampering salvage efforts, the Swedish Coast Guard said, adding that the operations are going according to plan, although a bit slower than expected.

The shallow site is also making it difficult for coast guard’s environmental protection ships to approach the grounded cargo vessel.

Although the ships’s hull is damaged and up against rocks in three places, the authorities confirmed that there were no reports of an oil spill following the incident. Additionally, there were no reports of injuries to the crew, consists of Russian and Filipino citizens.

Faroe Islands-flagged Atlantic was on its way from the port of Visby to Oskarshamn when it ran into trouble, according to AIS data from Marine Traffic.

World Maritime News Staff