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Netherlands

Dutch maritime captain acquitted in deadly Waddenzee collision

Thursday, 18 June 2026, 06:54 · 1 min read

A Dutch court of appeal in Leeuwarden has acquitted the captain of a high-speed ferry involved in a fatal collision on the Waddenzee (the shallow tidal sea separating the Dutch mainland from its northern island chain) in October 2022, overturning an earlier conviction. The crash between the fast ferry Tiger and a water taxi near the island of Terschelling killed four people, including a 12-year-old boy whose body was never recovered, and injured three others. The court ruled the captain had not acted carelessly, finding that no speed limit applied at the collision site and that the accident was caused by a last-minute steering manoeuvre by the other vessel; victims' families expressed disappointment, saying they had hoped the captain would be held accountable for his role in the tragedy.

Sources
NOS NieuwsVrijspraak voor kapitein betrokken bij dodelijke aanvaring op Waddenzee ↗︎
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