According to International news, the captain of a container ship has acknowledged being in control of his vessel while under the influence of alcohol.
In particular, Zbigniew Chowaniec, a Polish national, was taken into custody on January 15th following the arrival of his vessel at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.
The Ipswich Magistrates’ Court was informed that a breathalyzer examination revealed the 65-year-old to be nearly four times above the permissible alcohol limit.
On January 16, he entered a guilty plea, and his case has been forwarded to the Crown Court for sentencing scheduled in February.
As explained, Chowaniec served as the captain of MSC Roshney V, which had traveled from the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium, en route to the port of Canakkale, Turkey. According to reports presented to magistrates, port officers boarded the 965ft (294m) long ship around 07:15 GMT, and Chowaniec emitted a strong odor of alcohol.
He was arrested and sent to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre, where a breathalyser test showed 93 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, above the legal limit. The Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping Convention permits 25 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath for seafarers.
Following the proceedings on January 16, Chowaniec was granted conditional bail and was obliged to surrender his passport.
Alcohol consumption is a serious problem and continuing being a root or secondary course of maritime accidents. What about tackling this issue in the coming STCW amendments already scheduled at IMO? To add more stringent measures and transferring it from part B, voluntary, to part A, compulsory, of the STCW would be a way forward to try to reduce alcohol-related marine accidents.