A UK court has sentenced the captain of a locally-registered cargo vessel for his involvement in a collision incident that left two people dead in the Baltic Sea in late 2021.
Sam Farrow, the captain of the dry cargo vessel Scot Carrier, had earlier pleaded guilty to failing to prevent his ship's collision with the Danish-registered hopper barge Karin Høj (pictured) in the waters between Sweden and Denmark in the early morning (local time) of December 13, 2021.
Proceedings concluded late last week at the Southampton Crown Court revealed that, on the morning of the incident, Mr Farrow had relieved the ship's first officer of watch duties due to intoxication and handed over the watch to the second officer.
The second officer was alone on the bridge and was conversing with another individual online when he executed a course correction without first checking his surroundings.
The court said the second officer was distracted as he had also been intoxicated when he took over the watch.
The course correction ultimately resulted in the collision, and the smaller Karin Høj capsized immediately afterwards with only its upturned keel protruding above the surface of the water.
Both of Karin Høj's crew perished in the tragedy.
An attempt to reverse the cargo ship's engines proved unsuccessful, making the collision inevitable, court records revealed.
The court determined that Mr Farrow had failed to ensure safety on his ship by assigning the second officer to the bridge on the morning of the incident despite being aware that the latter was failing in his duties.
Mr Farrow has been sentenced to eight months' imprisonment in addition to being ordered to pay costs totalling £25,000 (US$32,000).
Intrada Ships Management, the operating company of Scot Carrier, was found guilty of failing to operate a ship in a safe manner during the same proceedings. The company has been ordered by the court to pay a fine of £180,000 (US$230,000) and costs amounting to £500,000 (US$630,000).