Tag: alcohol

NTSB Asks Coast Guard to Raise Its Post-Accident Alcohol and Drug Testing Standards

Sentenced to one year in jail The drunken captain of a cargo ship Union Moon which collided with Stena ferry in Northern Ireland, has been sentenced for one year in jail.Downpatrick Crown Court also heard yesterday that when the Union Moon crashed into the Stena Feriona on March 7th this year, Miroslaw Pozniak caused more than $1.5 million in damage.Captain Pozniak (56) steered straight into the 21,856-tonne Stena ferry, gouging a large hole in the vehicle deck. He had no look-out despite the darkness.In a preliminary breath test four hours after the impact, Pozniak's reading was 135mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, the limit being 35mg.Pozniak, a married father of two from Listopada, northwest Poland, pleaded guilty to failing to keep a proper lookout, failing to navigate, causing serious damage to his own ship as well as another vessel. He said it was because of news of his wife's ill-health.In a prosecution brought by the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency, Pozniak faced a maximum of two years in jail. Jailing him for a year, Judge David Smyth QC told him that had he not pleaded guilty, he would have faced an 18-month jail sentence.Source: Maritime Connector

To Ensure That The Sailors Do Not Drink Like Sailors The U.S. Navy is equipping all its ships with Breathalyzers (portable devices that police are often seen using to determine if a driver is "legally drunk" or close to it).These devices are mainly for use when the ship is in port, to randomly check if any sailors going on duty have been drinking, or if sailors with known drinking problems are relapsing. Since 1913, alcoholic beverages have not been allowed on U.S. Navy ships, although there are incidents of sailors secretly brewing alcohol ("moonshine"), or sneaking booze on board. This sort of thing is risky, and can get you tossed out of the navy. That's a big deal these days, with civilian unemployment so high. But the navy still tolerates some drinking off the ship, and the Breathalyzers are to ensure that the sailors do not drink like sailors.Earlier this year the U.S. Marine Corps announced it would soon begin using Breathalyzers on bases to randomly check marines on duty for evidence that they have been drinking to excess. You are not supposed to be intoxicated while on the job. Marines found to be intoxicated will be warned, and counseled ...

MAIB report on container ship run agrounf off Cornwall A report investigating the grounding of a container ship off the coast of Cornwall last year says evidence suggests the master was drunk and abusive to the Officer of the Watch before falling asleep 2 hours before the vessel grounded.On August 3rd 2011 the Karin Schepers ran aground on the Cornish coast while travelling from Cork, Ireland to Rotterdam, Netherlands. Just before 3am the master relieved the second officer as the officer of the watch, he fell asleep a short time later.The investigation found that no lookout had been posted, and with no-one awake on the bridge the vessel continued on for over 2 hours, crossing the Land's End Traffic Separation Scheme before grounding close to Pendeen Lighthouse, West Cornwall.Fortunately, the ship was undamaged and the crew were able to refloat her on the rising tide.The master had been the 8-12 watchkeeper, and at midnight had handed over the watch to the second officer. However, the master returned to the bridge at regular intervals after midnight, sounding increasingly intoxicated until eventually he ordered the second officer from the bridge. Shortly after this the master, alone on the bridge, fell asleep. The ...

A supervisor at the Chinese dock had locked him up on the charge of drinking alcohol An Indian commander of a Kuwait-flagged merchant ship has been locked up in the radio room of the vessel that is now docked at Shenzhen port in China. Captain Adhimoolam Elango, who is from Puducherry, sent an SOS from MV Hussa Alghanim to a friend, Daniel Joseph, who has passed on the information to the director-general of shipping and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), London.Joseph said a Pakistani supervisor at the Chinese dock had locked him up on the charge of drinking alcohol on board the vessel, and was not allowing him to contact anyone, even the local authorities. Consuming liquor on board a vessel is not banned, but the captain is said to have been drinking heavily after the recent death of his wife. His job contract expired on April 21.In his email to Joseph, Captain Elango said his life was in danger. "I have been detained inside the radio room for the past six days. Though I am getting food, I am not allowed to interact with anyone. All communication equipment has been taken away from me," he said. "The radio ...

An alcohol-affected and sleep deprived crew member stopped monitoring its course A vessel ran aground near Golden Bay after an alcohol-affected and sleep deprived crew member stopped monitoring its course, an investigation has found.The Transport Accident Investigation Commission this morning said there was a "strong possibility" an experienced ship mate on board the M.V. Anatoki had fallen asleep before grounding the vessel off Rangihaeata Head on May 6, 2010.It said the mate had drunk "four to five" pints of beer in the hours before the vessel departed at midnight on May 6.He did not properly monitor the ship's course after being placed on watch at 4am and failed to realise the vessel was in trouble until at least 10 minutes after it had grounded, it said."The Anatoki ran aground because the mate was not adequately monitoring the progress of the ship against the passage plan and the master's night orders, and in the period immediately before the grounding, could not have been monitoring the progress of the vessel at all."The ship was refloated at 1pm on May 6, with the help of a workboat and a charter fishing vessel.Though the mate was "adamant" he had not fallen asleep, the sequence ...

Master and other deck officers gathered on the bridge to celebrate an officer's birthday The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) issued the report of its investigation of the grounding of a feeder container ship on the south coast of Spain on 15 February 2011. The container ship was en route from Algeciras to Valencia. Shortly after midnight on 15 February, the master and other deck officers gathered on the bridge to celebrate an officer's birthday. A number of alcoholic toasts were consumed.The celebration ended at about 0200, leaving the officer of the watch alone on the bridge. The ship/s voyage data recorder reveals that shortly thereafter the ship's course was radically changed. The chief mate, who normally stood the 0400-0800 watch, arrived on the bridge at about 0600 to find it unmanned and the ship aground with the engine at full speed. The master was called and came to the bridge minutes later.At about that time, the Spanish Coast Guard called to inquire as to the status of the ship. The master initially stated that all was well and that the ship was anchored. He later reported that the ship was aground. With tug assistance, the ship was refloated ...

To encourage raising awareness of the dangers INTERTANKO has been advised from a verified source that, tragically, the industry continues to experience a number of incidents involving fatalities attributable to alcohol poisoning. The purpose of this Safety Alert is to highlight this disturbing trend and encourage raising awareness of the dangers associated with: the consumption of alcohol purchased from dubious sources; the unlawful production of illicit alcoholic liquors. Alcohol poisoning is a condition where the alcohol content in a person's blood increases to an extent where it hampers the normal functioning of the central nervous system. Acute alcohol poisoning is triggered by excessive consumption of alcohol in a short period of time. When this occurs the individual is in great danger unless medical treatment is administered in a timely fashion.There have also been a number of cases, where illegally produced alcohol such as methyl alcohol (methanol) has been secretly obtained from unreliable sources, resulting in death for those who have consumed the product. Methanol, like many other toxic alcohols, has a smell very similar to ethyl alcohol found in alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine and spirits. It is used as a solvent, as a glass cleaner, and also in ...

6 others were evacuated to hospital Multipurpose general cargo Captain Kurbatskiy is anchored in Muara Asam Asam (Kalimantan) from April 22 because of commercial dispute on a quality of loaded ore. On June 21 2011 7 crew members bought from shipchandler 3 litres of pure spirit and made a party.Spirit obviously was methyl, all 7 felt bad immediately after party, 1 died in his cabin, 6 others were evacuated to hospital, 3 died (one on the way to hospital) and 3 were put in intensive therapy ward. Investigation under way. As of morning (UTC+9) June 24 condition of 3 survived crew satisfactory, they may be checked out today.Dead crewmembers Bagin Anatoly, Gennady Bogdanov, Olga Smetanina, and Yakutin Evgeny. The three victims were treated Anton Murzin, Ahemetov Alexanser, and Traktirova. All the victims were crew Captain Kurbatskiy carrying iron ore and the middle anchor moored in waters Kintap, Tanahlaut District.Iron ore to China planned to be taken. Seventh victim along with 20 other crew has two weeks in Tanahlaut. Information received by Metro TV, the seventh victim drank alcohol from China mixed with some other beverages.After the party they are directly lying. One of the seven victims even dying at the ...