Mike Axdal took his seat in courtroom 9 in Næstved this Tuesday. The court will now determine whether the Danish Maritime Authority failed in its legal obligation to carry out port state control inspections after a fire broke out on the vessel while it was en route from Oslo to Frederikshavn, resulting in the deaths of 159 people. According to Danish law, specifically the Ship Inspection Act of 1951, such inspections were mandatory. Axdal, who was aboard the ferry during the disaster, lost both his father and his brother in the tragedy. He maintains that many of those lives could have been saved if the Danish Maritime Authority had fulfilled its duty under the law. For Axdal, the lawsuit is not primarily about financial compensation. Instead, he seeks official acknowledgment of wrongdoing and a formal apology. “I first demand that we win this case,” he said. “And then I want an apology.” The trial is scheduled to last 14 days. The Danish Maritime Authority has stated it will not issue any comments on the matter until after the court delivers its verdict.
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