Retired ship inspector reveals truth about Scandinavian Star tragedy

Crew members are responsible for the death of 159 passengers, claims Flemming Thue Jensen

Lucie Rychla

Feb 21, 2016

After 26 years of silence, Danish ship inspector, Flemming Thue Jensen, has decided to reveal the truth about the Scandinavian Star tragedy, in which 159 people lost their lives, reports Politiken.

In an exclusive interview with journalist Lars Halskov from Politiken, Jensen stated members of the crew were responsible for the fire that broke out on the ship whilst it was travelling from Oslo to Frederikshavn in Denmark.

Jensen, who is now retired, used to work as a ship inspector at the Danish Maritime Authority and was one of the leading investigators of the disaster that took place on the night of April 7, 1990.

Fire set on purpose
He believes the Scandinavian Star crew set the fire on the ferry on purpose.

According to Jensen, fire and escape doors were blocked with mattresses and cleats, some rescue equipment was missing, and sliding doors to the car deck used a system that only the crew knew how to operate.

The captain and some of the crew abandoned the ship before all passengers were evacuated and Jensen also believes a third fire was set after the surviving passengers had been evacuated and when only some members of the crew and rescuers were on board.

New investigation
In the light of the new information, a new police investigation has been launched.

In 2014, the Norwegian police, which has been in charge of the investigation, decided to drop charges against a Danish truck driver, who died in the fire and who had previously been convicted for arson.

The Norwegian police investigation has long been criticised, especially by the Danish support group.

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