– The two people are suspected of negligence in maritime traffic of the normal degree. I don’t want to go into what kind of tasks they have had in detail, but they are part of the crew who are responsible for the performance of the ship in terms of navigation, says prosecutor Adrien Combier-Hogg to TT.
TT: Is the captain one of the suspects?
– At the moment, I do not want to go into exactly what job positions they have in view of the investigation and confidentiality.
“Is worrying”
Kristianstadsbladet was the first to report that two people from the crew were served with suspicion.
The coast guard has so far caught at least 14,000 liters of oil, but now the work is at a standstill because all the remaining oil has sunk below the surface of the water.
– It is worrying because it cannot be located, says Mattias Lindholm, press spokesperson at the Coast Guard.
It has now been three days since the passenger ship Marco Polo ran aground in Blekinge.
Previously, the Coast Guard was able to locate the oil leaking from the ship and catch it, but because the water is so cold, all the oil has sunk to the bottom and it is therefore unclear where it is and how it is moving.
– There is no oil on the surface of the water. It can no longer be seen from ships or from the air, but I can’t answer how the work is progressing with capturing oil that has already reached land, says Mattias Lindholm.
“Terrible Suffering”
Rain and wind complicate the clean-up work in Sölvesborg municipality, which was hit hardest by the oil spill.
– Today is not the weather for cleaning, but we are working on it. We are training as many people as we can and are reviewing how we can solve this in the long term, says Anders Borgman, crisis and preparedness coordinator in the municipality.
The non-profit organization Katastrophhjalp Fåglar och Wilt continues to try to collect and rescue as many animals as possible.
– It is deplorable. Everyone who sees this understands that it is a terrible suffering for animals and nature. You also begin to understand the scope. The work will take a very long time. We are not talking about weeks but months, says Anders Borgman.
Can move south
The oil has reached land along the coastal strip between Lörby Kladd and Hörvik in Sölvesborg municipality, but according to forecasts it will also hit the Scanian coast.
Oil has not yet reached the shores of northeastern Scania, but preparations are underway to minimize the damage. During the night, the coast around Åhus has been cleared of seaweed.
– As long as we collect fresh seaweed, we can use it as fertilizer, but if oil gets in it, it becomes environmentally hazardous waste, says Anders Johansson, safety manager in Kristianstad Municipality.