The Samus-Swan: Crew Feedback and Vessel Data

In a significant ruling on July 4, 2025, a Danish court determined that the master of the 'Samus Swan' had acted with negligence during an incident on February 26, 2022, when the vessel's anchor dragged and severed a crucial subsea power cable. Despite finding the captain at fault, the court limited the shipping company's liability, impacting the broader discourse on anchor-dragging incidents in the Baltic Sea currently under legal scrutiny. This incident resulted in a blackout for the island of Bornholm, prompting an urgent response from the Swedish energy provider Energinet. The company quickly confirmed the severe damage to its undersea power infrastructure. While power was restored to the island within hours through a reserve generation facility, the full repair of the cable took over a month, requiring the replacement of more than 2.5 miles of the damaged line. Initially, the 'Samus Swan', operated by Danish shipping company Uni-Tankers, was located in the shipping channel offshore and denied involvement in the power disruption. However, the company later acknowledged their accidental role, attributing the incident partially to adverse weather conditions. Energinet pursued legal action in 2023, claiming expenses nearly totaling $8 million for repairs. The court's examination revealed that the crew did not realize that the anchor had released, and when the ship began to decelerate, the captain prioritized engine management over monitoring the anchor's status. Among the judicial panel, opinions varied; two experts identified the captain’s actions as negligent, while a third characterized it as gross negligence. Ultimately, the ruling allowed Uni-Tankers to cap their financial liability at around $4.3 million (DKK 27.2 million), significantly less than the $6 million (DKK 38 million) Energinet sought. Energinet expressed disappointment with the court's ruling and is currently reviewing their legal options, including a potential appeal to Denmark's High Court.

Uni-Tankers, a shipping company hailing from Funen, is embroiled in a legal battle after a lawsuit filed by the Maritime and Commercial Court seeks DKK 38 million in damages. The lawsuit stems from an incident involving the vessel 'Samus Swan,' which inadvertently severed a submarine cable on February 26, 2022, during its transit from Latvia to Rotterdam. This unfortunate mishap resulted in a disruption of power supply to the island of Bornholm. Fortunately, the island's reliance on electricity was swiftly mitigated as a decommissioned power plant was reactivated within a remarkable six-hour timeframe to restore power.

On February 26, 2022, the Danish vessel 'Samus Swan', operated by Uni-Tankers, became the focus of an investigation related to a power outage on Bornholm. The tanker was reportedly navigating from Ventspils to Rotterdam when it mysteriously switched off all its lights in the vicinity of the island early that morning. Authorities utilized AIS signals to trace the ship's movements, correlating them with the undersea cabling data and the precise timing of the power disruption. Preliminary findings suggest that the 'Samus Swan' may have inadvertently severed the crucial undersea power cable, leading to the outage on Bornholm. As investigations continue, the maritime community remains vigilant regarding the implications of this incident.