A captain has landed in hot water after allegedly trying to berth his ship while drunk.
Whangarei police were called to help on Friday after a pilot helping dock the ship suspected the captain to be under the influence of alcohol.
He had tried to berth his ship the Shansi, a 40,000 tonne logging ship, when he ran into trouble at Port Northland in Marsden Point, police said.
The 53-year-old ship captain was an Englishman from Devon and blew what was described as an “exceptionally” high reading.
The limit for a seafarer is 250 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. Any higher readings can incur a 12 month term of imprisonment or a $10,000 fine.
The captain appeared in the Whangarei District Court on Saturday and was remanded on bail.
A spokesman for the ship’s owner, the China Navigation Company, said it adopted the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) guidelines for the control of alcohol on board ship.
“Under this policy, CNCo strictly prohibits any seafarer from navigating or operating any ship’s equipment under the influence of alcohol, among other regulations.”
They wouldn’t be making any further comment, because the case was before the court, he said.
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Source: Stuff
