One crew member from a Danish cargo ship involved in a crash with an Inverness-registered cargo ship bound for Montrose has died.
It has been reported a crew member had been found dead in the hull of the upturned Danish barge, while a British and Croatian have been taken into custody.
The Scot Carrier was in a crash with Danish ship Karin Hoej in the early hours of Monday in a busy Baltic shipping route off Sweden.
A major rescue operation was launched after two crew members from the Danish vessel were reported missing.
International media including Swedish news site Kvallsposten have now reported that authorities are confirming one person has died in the incident.
They said authorities in Sweden had launched a probe into the crash, with a British and Croatian national arrested.
It is understood both of those arrested had been on the Montrose bound Scot Carrier, which is registered in Inverness and was due to arrive in Scotland on Monday afternoon.
One dead as Swedish authorities launch criminal probe
The report said the Swedish Maritime Administration and local police confirmed to international media one person was found dead in the boat.
Authorities first received a distress call at around 3.30am local time, with screams heard as they approached the scene between the Swedish town of Ystad and the island of Bornholm.
At least 11 boats and ships, an airplane and a helicopter were involved in the search for the missing crew members.
The Danish Meteorological Institute said that while there was fog in the area at the time it had not been dense and that the weather was unusual for the time of the year.
Swedish prosecutors said a probe into several crimes is under way, including gross negligence in maritime traffic, causing death through negligence, and marine intoxication.
A press spokesman for the Swedish Coast Guard Valdemar Lindekrantz told the country’s TV4 network that “we suspect that parts of the British crew have not been sober”.
“I can confirm an accident has happened but I do not know the circumstances,” Soren Hoj, managing director of Rederiet Hoj which owns the Karin HoJ, said.
A spokesperson for operator Scotline said: “Scotline can confirm that they have an interest on the Scot Carrier, however, for the time being Scotline are not in a position to comment further since the details of the incident are currently under investigation and still ongoing.
“The master, ship, crew and company are assisting and complying with local authorities as required.
“Further details will be given in due course.”
According to the website MarineTraffic, the Scot Carrier was en route from Salacgriva in Latvia to Montrose in Scotland, while the Karin Hoej had left Sodertalje in Sweden for Nykoebing Falster in Denmark.