Drunken skipper sleeping at the helm - ship intercepted near Helsingborg

While heading north through the Öre Sound, the "Helt", enroute from Liepaja to Horsens, was about to run aground at the height of Glumslöv late on March 10, 2017. At 11 p.m. the Swedish JRCC noted that the ship changed had course toward land. Thanks to a sharp turn it avoided the collision with another ship by a few hundred meters. Neither the JRCC nor the VTS managed to make contact with the vessel over VHF. The Coast Guard command center quickly was engaged and sent the "KBV 034", which was in the vicinity, to intercept the ship. Meanwhile the surveillance ship "KBV 314" was deployed from Malmö to the site. A crew boarded the ship north of Helsingborg. Everything went smoothly. Once aboard, the Coast Guard officers found the master sleeping at the helm. He admitted that he was drunk during the watch, which was also confirmed at the sobriety check. Other crew members were sober. The ship anchored at Råå, and the skipper was transferred to the "KBV 314" and transported to Helsingborg where a police patrol was waiting for further transport to the hospital for drug testing. The ship was approaching Horsens in the evening of March 12.