Pilot Reported Arriving Containership’s Captain Appeared to be Intoxicated

 

The authorities in the Canary Islands responded after the pilot working an arriving containership reported that the captain of the vessel appeared to be intoxicated. Local media reports from Gran Canaria said the vessel was having difficulty carrying out a docking maneuver which was aggravated by the apparent erratic course of the ship as it was approaching the dock.

The pilot informed the Maritime Authority which in turn involved Guardia Civil for an investigation. The police boarded the containership Wec Frans Hals and administered a breathalyzer test. Guardia Civil told the news outlet La Provincia that the captain tested significantly above the legal limit. The report says he measured 1.13 mg/l versus the legal limit of .25 mg/l.

The maritime authority fined the captain €75,000 (approximately $83,000) and the report says he is under investigation by the shipping line. The captain who was only described as a Ukrainian citizen is facing dismissal by the shipping line.

Wec Frans Hals (11,200 dwt) is a small container vessel registered in Portugal and maintains a regular service between Gijon and Vigo in Spain and the Canary Islands. The vessel has a capacity of 862 TEU and 433 feet (132 meters) in length. 

The incident took place on August 20 when the vessel was approaching the La Luz terminal on Gran Canaria. The maritime authority held the vessel for two days in port until the shipping line could send a replacement captain to take command of the vessel.