Lots testifies to poor visibility on ships – accident trial begins in September

"...if you sit down in the chair in the middle, you don't have a perfect view of... well, not good enough," says the pilot in questioning.

He describes having to walk from side to side to keep track of what was outside.

"Difficult to see everything you need"

Already in December 2025, a Norwegian pilot testified that the excavator obscured the view in an internal message to his fellow pilots, which Ekot previously reported on.

"Now the boat has just had an excavator mounted on the deck. It takes up even more of the view ahead and makes it difficult to see everything you need when you are standing in the middle and steering," writes the Norwegian pilot.

The pilots also write that the visibility, from before, is poor on the ship model due to the traverse crane that is located right in front of the wheelhouse.

Seko: Careless with lookout

No one on the ship had a special duty to look out from the bridge at the time of the accident in which two persons died and two were injured.

This is not abnormal, according to ITF inspector Håkan Andrée who works to check working conditions on ships. He says that he has raised the alarm several times that it is careless to have an outpost lookout on this type of ship, and that it is because the ships are undermanned.

- This is a common problem and not isolated to this vessel alone but more within this segment it occurs. It is constantly and systematically adopted, says Håkan Andrée at the Seko trade union.

The trial about the accident begins on September 10.

Start the clip to see SVT explain how the commander and pilot, who are now charged with causing another's death, highlight the other's responsibility to keep an eye out.

SVT has searched the shipping company without success.