The Swedish coast guard has blamed a sleeping crew member for the hard grounding of a cargoship on Sunday.

It said a criminal case has begun relating to negligence in sea traffic.

The 1,500-dwt Bonita (built 1987) went aground north of Kallandso.

Bonita aground Photo: Swedish coast guard

"In the interrogation of the crew, a person has acknowledged that he or she has fallen asleep during his guard, which caused the grounding," it added.

Divers discovered that one of the ship's fuel tanks was on the seabed.

The coast guard then lightered more than 32,000 litres of diesel.

Rescue leader Fredrik Hallerstrom sad: "We act while the weather is favorable and we have control over the situation. Our focus has always been that emptying should take place as quickly and safely as possible."

The coast guard said it is now the owner's responsibility to refloat the vessel.

No pollution has been reported.

The ship is listed as operated by AA Bon-Port of Latvia.