A Norwegian marine insurer knew about the many safety flaws that resulted in the deaths of 159 people on the "Scandinavian Star" 25 years ago, but the company still insured the vessel, reports Danish newspaper Politiken.

The safety flaws were noted by Norwegian insurer Skuld's head of shipwrecks at the time, Erik Stein, around two weeks before one or more arsonists set fire to the vessel on April 7th 1990, reveals Erik Stein, after staying silent for 25 years, in a new book titled "The Fire - The Mystery of the Scandinavian Star" ("Branden – gåden om "Scandinavian Star").