Longdawn freighter officers admit to charges hoping to lift travel ban after endangering fishing crew

The captain and another officer of the freighter Longdawn have admitted to charges brought against them in hopes of lifting the travel ban and leaving the country. They are accused of endangering the lives of the crew of a fishing boat.

The Longdawn in port in Vestmannaeyjar. The captain and another officer have been under a travel ban since May 17th.

Both the captain and the second officer of the Longdawn pleaded guilty in the District Court of Reykjanes today. They are accused of endangering the lives of the crew of the fishing boat Höddu HF by failing to rescue them when they crashed into the boat.

The two men have been under a travel ban for almost two months. They pleaded guilty in order to lift the travel ban and return to their families. Both are Russian and have been under a travel ban since May 17th.

The captain of the Longdawn is also accused of being under the influence of alcohol and drugs, rendering him unfit to perform his duties properly.

Ragnar, the captain’s lawyer, completely denies this allegation, pointing out that at least half a day had elapsed from the time the ship left the port in Hafnarfjordur until it arrived in Vestmannaeyjar, where the crew were arrested.

Ragnar says they had followed the data they had and assessed the situation as not requiring the ship to stop. No one on board felt the collision and there was no distress call in English, according to Ragnar.

The verdict will be announced tomorrow.