Ship collision – Cruise ship captain back in custody on suspicion of abandoning victims

The captain of a cruise ship which collided with a sightseeing boat in central Budapest in May is back in police custody on suspicion of failing to provide assistance after the collision, the website of the Budapest police headquarters said on Monday.

On May 29, the Viking Sigyn cruise ship collided with a sightseeing boat that had 33 South Korean tourists on board and a crew of two Hungarians. Seven tourists were rescued from the water after the collision and the rest died. Details HERE.

Last month, the 64-year-old Ukrainian captain of the Viking Sigyn was taken into custody on suspicion of criminal misconduct but later released on a bail of 15 million forints (EUR 45,800).

The municipal court ruling granting the captain’s release also obliged him to remain in Budapest.

On Monday, police said the captain has been taken into custody again and was being interrogated on suspicion of abandoning the passengers and crew of the Hableány sightseeing boat after the crash.

The captain’s return to custody comes after a resolution by the Kúria, Hungary’s supreme court, saying that the decision by lower courts to release him on bail had been unlawful.

In the justification of its non-binding resolution issued on Monday, the Kúria explained that even the lower courts had acknowledged that the grounds for placing the captain under criminal supervision were not met.

It noted that such an arrangement would only be possible if the suspect posed a flight risk, but not if there is a risk of evidence tampering. A suspect can only be released on bail if they are being placed under criminal supervision, the court said. However, it argued, if the lower courts decided not to place the captain under criminal supervision, then they had no grounds to release him on bail, either.