SILVERPILEN

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Latest news

Commander and mate of robot boat charged with gross negligence

After the veteran ship 'R142 Ystad' came close to a serious collision with the 'Silverpilen' on Sep 7, 2024, both a commander and a mate are being charged with gross negligence in maritime traffic. The former robot boat had passed a few meters astern of the 'Silverpilen' at a speed of 35 knots and in dense fog at Gålö in the Stockholm archipelago. The ferry was on its way with passengers from Utö to the Årsta jetty. According to the prosecutor, the passengers on the ferry were seconds away from possibly losing their lives. "If the ship had collided with the 'Silverpilen', there would have been fatalities, I am absolutely convinced of that", prosecutor Anton Tunving stated on Jan 27, 2025. According to the description of the incident, the robot boat was sailing south between Äggskären and Vitsgarn, when the 'Silverpilen' appeared on the radar. The commander and the first officer mistakenly believed that the ship was heading in the same direction as the 'R142 Ystad'. They began a port turn astern of the 'Silverpilen', when the ferry suddenly appeared onthe port side as an oncoming ship. The robot boat completed its planned turn and was only between five and ten meters from the 'Silverpilen' when they met. According to the investigation, there were around 40 passengers on the deck of the veteran ship and around 25 passengers on board the 'Silverpilen'. The prosecutor believes that those responsible on the 'R142 Ystad' did not have sufficient supervision and did not keep the speed down sufficiently, which is the basis for the indictment. However, both defendants denied a crime. The robot boat is owned by the State Maritime and Transport History Museums, but the Swedish Robot Boats Association uses the ship in its operations. The ship is almost 44 meters long and has a displacement of 240 tons with full equipment and a crew of 30 people. The Swedish Accident Investigation Board is working on an investigation into the incident. Report with photo: https://www.sjofartstidningen.se/tva-atalas-efter-kollisionstillbud/

Coast Guard launched investigation after close encounter

On Sep 7, 2024, the robot boat 'R142-Ystad' was extremely close to a collision with the 'Silverpilen'. The former military boat had a speed of 37 knots despite dense fog and was a few meters away from the ferry, which was on its way from Utö in the Stockholm archipelago to Årsta havsbad with 30 people on board. The 'R142-Ystad' passed just astern. The ferry crew tried to contact the 'R142-Ystad', but were unsuccessful. The Coast Guard will investigate the incident regarding negligence in maritime traffic. The ferry operator Blidösundsbolaget has submitted an incident report to the Swedish Transport Agency and will also investigate the incident internally. The robot boat is almost 44 meters long with a displacement of 240 tons. The ship is owned by the Maritime History Museum. Report with photo: https://www.sjofartstidningen.se/skargardsbat-meter-ifran-kollision-med-robotbat/