Danish court finds Eems Carrier captain guilty of drunk sailing

Image: MarineTraffic.com/Peter aus Holtenau
Image: MarineTraffic.com/Peter aus Holtenau – Eems Carrier

The Court of Svendborg in Denmark has found the captain of a cargo ship guilty of sailing under the influence of alcohol after his vessel ran aground in Spodsbjerg earlier this year.

During court proceedings on Wednesday, June 19, the 49-year-old Russian national who was at the helm of the Dutch-flagged Eems Carrier during the incident on February 21 was also fined DKK 20,000 (US$3,000) and has had his master’s licence suspended for one year.

The captain had been charged with violating the provisions of the Maritime Act pertaining to alcohol consumption while at sea after he tested positive for alcohol in the wake of the grounding.

Even before the individual was taken in for questioning following the incident, local police had already suspected that he was drunk based on his responses over the radio.


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