The beginning of 2026 has been marked by several maritime accidents and incidents involving foreign vessels in waters under Latvia’s jurisdiction, as well as a Latvian-flagged vessel outside those waters. The responsible authorities have initiated preliminary assessments to establish the circumstances and sequence of events.
On 20 January, a serious maritime accident occurred aboard the Latvian-flagged vessel CAPELLA in the Swedish port of Västerås. The incident took place while the vessel was moored at the berth and cargo operations were being carried out.
During the work process, a crew member slipped on a wet deck and sustained severe leg injuries when the limb became caught under a moving part of the cargo hatch mechanism. The mechanism was immediately stopped, and the injured person was transported to a hospital in Västerås with the assistance of emergency medical services.
According to the initial assessment, no technical deficiencies have been identified, and the accident is currently attributed to human factors. The Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau has commenced a preliminary investigation into the maritime accident.
Furthermore, on 26 January at approximately 07:00, a collision occurred between two vessels—JOHANN and NORDIC PORTO—in the territory of the Freeport of Riga, in the Mangaļi Canal. At the time of the incident, the vessel JOHANN was departing the port, while the container vessel NORDIC PORTO was moored at berth ZO-1.
According to preliminary information, the vessel JOHANN experienced a malfunction of its steering system, resulting in a loss of maneuverability to starboard and a subsequent collision with the vessel moored at the berth. Both vessels sustained material damage.
No injuries were reported, and no pollution or environmental damage was detected. Following the collision, the vessel JOHANN was moored at berth ZO-2. An assessment of the circumstances of the incident has been initiated, along with cooperation with the competent authorities of the states involved.