A Dutch cargo ship captain has been fined £1,000 ($1,300) at Armagh Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to failing to keep a proper look which led to the grounding of vessel at Rathlin Island.
What happened?
The cargo ship captain Aleksandr Iakovtsov of the MV Ruyter pleaded guilty to charges brought by the U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). He was charged under the Merchant Shipping Distress Signals and Prevention of Collision Regulations 1996 and also of failing to safely navigate his ship and causing serious damage to the ship (in breach of section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995).
On October 10, 2017, the Dutch cargo ship ‘Ruyter’ was carrying a cargo of timber from Lemosov, Russia to Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, when it grounded on the north coast of Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland.
Carelessness blamed:
Judge Paul Copeland said, “It should have been apparent to you as an experienced mariner that you were on a collision course as you left Islay towards Northern Ireland. You chose to leave the bridge as the ship approached the coast of Ireland. It should have been apparent to you from the radar that you were getting close to the shore. The lights on Rathlin should also be apparent to you. You are fortunate the ship struck a shallow patch under the cliffs and that you were able to come off in a short time.”
The judge further added, “You did make an immediate report and engaged the support and rescue services. Fortunately, no one onboard was injured. It is understandable that you may not have been aware of the extent of the damage until after some time – fortunately there was no further incident. I’m satisfied it was not aggravated by alcohol and that there were no other ships put in danger by the progress of your ship. I am also taking into account you have been 31 years at sea with 16 years as captain and in this context you have been relieved of your command and this will affect your future work.”
Pay fine or serve jail term:
The Captain was sentenced to pay £1,000, or 28 days in prison if is not paid within 24 hours, and was released later the same day and returned to Russia.
Captain Bill Bennett Technical Manager for the MCA, Northern Ireland said, “I am not surprised at the extent of the damage. The captain is very lucky that the outcome was not more serious. I am very concerned that he failed to have a lookout on watch with him and that the off-watch alarm and ECDIS alarms should have been switched on – this put his crew and his vessel at risk. Thankfully, there was no pollution from this incident. Keeping people safe is at the heart of what we do and we are committed to working with our partner agencies to protect those at sea by stopping dangerous practices and vessels making their way on the water, and to hold accountable those responsible”.
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Source: Maritime Professional
