Passenger ferry collided – took in water – Aftonbladet

Stena Line passenger ferry collided with a tanker outside Gothenburg in the night.

The accident occurred near Vinga and the ship took in water.

– The feeling was that it could have ended really badly, says the passenger Jonathan Svedmyr.

During Saturday night collided Stena Line’s M / S Stena Jutlandica route from Frederikshavn to Gothenburg with another vessel. The Coast Guard was alerted at 2:21 and was shortly thereafter new information about the ferry took in water.

– We can confirm that there has been a collision between passenger ferry that publicly called for and what appears to be a tanker, but currently we do not know more, said Coast Guard operative leader Kalle Isaksson at 2:45.

“We take the waters”

On board the ferry were 536 passengers. After the collision heard several of them off to Aftonbladet.

– We take in water but have been told that we continue towards Gothenburg. It was an unpleasant shock when it happened, says a passenger.

Many people were asleep when the collision occurred, says another passenger.

– It became unsettled when people woke up to the collision. Some children began to cry then, it took a while before we got the message that another vessel encountered in the stern. We take in a little water in the engine room but goes against Gothenburg.

After the watch 03 could M / S Stena Jutlandica moor at the quay in Gothenburg.

– The hole is very large. Several meters wide. One sees straight into the tires. It could have ended in disaster, says an eyewitness on the dock.

“No damage to passengers’

Jesper Waltersson is Communications Manager at Stena Line.

– Stena Jutlandica was run over by another vessel at Vinga about and a damaged hull. It took in water but never so much that it was a serious danger. The situation is under control and there is no information on damage to passengers, says Waltersson.

On the quay where many passengers were taken by the drama. Jonathan Svedmyr, 44, from Uppsala drove the family car from the tires out on the dock and saw only then how much damage on the boat was.

– It was good weak at the knees when you drove past and saw it. And then they had already been shaken for a while, he said.

“It was seriously”

He had been on holiday in Denmark with his family. With the ferry trip was his wife and three children. Jonathan was sleeping when the collision occurred.

– It shook and there was a loud, metallic sound. It felt like we hit something, and that something in the progress of the boat changed. We were worried and my wife asked me to look for the life jackets and lifeboats were. It was in earnest. Location was sharp and we were scared, he said.

On his hunt for life jackets, he ran on a Norwegian couple who had been on deck when the ferry collided with the tanker.

– The saw everything and told me that it was very close that we had hit properly. Now it was serious enough, but the feeling was that it could have ended really badly at a stronger collision, says Jonathan Svedmyr.

While the tanker was damaged and during the Sunday morning still off Vinga.

– The investigative work regarding this accident is ongoing right now and we can not comment on it further. As soon as it gets light, we send out a plan to see if it has leaked something in the water. Tanker boat was loaded with gasoline, said John Månsson, duty officer at the Coast Guard.

Many travelers affected

During the morning got the ferry moved to another location to make room for another vessel. At the same time forced many travelers who’d gone with M / S Stena Jutlandica to Denmark again to find other solutions.

– What I heard it was quite a crowd on the dock in the night, and cars. It’s summer time now and then, we’ve travelers, says Jesper Waltersson.

– During the night, we have worked to reschedule them. We have another ship on the same line as we have been able to go with it, and if you want, we have also a line from Varberg to Grenaa.

He has no idea of ​​how many passengers are affected, but says that travelers will continue to be affected during the day as one of two vessels on the route Frederikshavn – Gothenburg expired.

– The second ferry, we can take a lot of Stena Jutlandicas passengers, but it is clear that it’s become a business disruption, says Jesper Waltersson.

– Now we will look at how the ship to be repaired, costs and how to do it.

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