Harlingen skipper prosecuted for 12-year-old's death during school boating trip

A 49-year-old skipper from Harlingen will be prosecuted for culpable homicide in the death of a 12-year-old girl from The Hague last summer. The girl was on a school trip on the skipper’s ship, the Risico, when the ship’s mast broke off and crushed her. The skipper is responsible for the condition of the mast and, therefore, for the child’s death, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Friday.

The children from a school in The Hague were on a school trip across the Wadden Sea on 31 August 2022 when the accident happened. The skipper had to maneuver the ship, and the mast broke off.

“A skipper is responsible for safety on a ship,” the OM said. The criminal investigation showed that the ship’s mast was not well maintained. Long “wind cracks” in the wood of the mast trapped water and caused severe wood rot. The wind cracks were longer than the industry guideline allows.

“Moreover, the skipper sailed the ship even though several of its inspection reports had expired,” the OM said. “So the Risico should not have been sailing in the first place.”

The OM charged the man with culpable homicide. It is not yet clear when his case will appear in the court in Leeuwarden.