The captain and mate of the freighter Julietta D, which went adrift on Monday, have been arrested as part of an investigation into their possible premature abandonment of the ship. A spokesperson for the Dutch national police unit announced this after it was reported by regional broadcaster NH Nieuws.
Julietta D’s anchor could no longer hold due to stormy weather, after which the ship collided with a tanker in an anchorage area near IJmuiden. After the collision, the Julietta D took on water and eighteen crew members had to be disembarked. A captain and mate are required to remain on a vessel unless strictly necessary, for example if their life is in danger. Marine police are now investigating whether they left the ship rightly or not.
The two crew members, both Russians, were arrested on Tuesday and are being questioned, according to the National Unity spokesman. The case will then be forwarded to the prosecution department which deals with security incidents in the North Sea.
The Julietta D, which was sailing under the Maltese flag, had Ukrainian and Filipino crew members on board, as well as Russians.
A mission to tow the ship to the port of Rotterdam was completed on Tuesday afternoon, once the weather returned and the seas calmed down after Monday’s storm. A large Boskalis sea sled laid the first tow link to the Julietta D at around 6:30 p.m. Monday. It was intended to prevent the ship from drifting towards Monster, a coastal town in Zuid-Holland. On Tuesday morning, a helicopter was used to bring three people to the ship to help make the second connection so the ship could be towed.
