| UK. Skipper who ran aground on Goodwins was four times over limit |
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| Wednesday, 01 March 2006 | |
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Coastguard news: The master of a vessel which ran aground off Kent and docked later in Hull was remanded in custody by Scunthorpe Magistrates today, 28 February 2006 after pleading guilty to being four times over the legal drink drive limit whilst in charge of a ship. The master of a vessel which ran aground off Kent and docked later in Hull was remanded in custody by Scunthorpe Magistrates today, 28 February 2006 after pleading guilty to being four times over the legal drink drive limit whilst in charge of a ship. At the hearing today in Scunthorpe, Adrian Fericel, a Romanian national aged 45, was remanded to appear at Grimsby Crown Court on the 2oth March at 10.00. The master was involved in incidents on the Goodwin sands on 12th February 2006 and New Holland on the River Humber on the 15th February 2006. On the 13th February 2006, the owners of the Swiss registered vessel 'Kathrin' contacted Dover Coastguard to report that the vessel had grounded on the Goodwin Sands. Examination of the radar records at Dover showed that the 'Kathrin' had crossed normally from the NE lane of the Dover Traffic Separation Scheme into the English inshore traffic zone. However, instead of altering course to continue its passage up to the Humber, the `Kathrin' maintained its course. Ten minutes after narrowly missing the East Goodwin Light Vessel, the `Kathrin' ran aground on the Goodwin Sands. The vessel remained aground for 20 minutes before re-floating itself and re-commencing its passage to the north of England. Dover Coastguard was not contacted at any time during this incident. As a result the vessel was met at New Holland by a Port State Control Inspector from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). On boarding it was suspected that the Master was over the prescribed limit for alcohol. Accordingly Humberside Police was asked to attend and subjected Mr Fericel to a breathalyser test. He failed the test and was arrested. He was taken to Scunthorpe Police Station and asked to provide a sample of his breath for analysis. This showed level of alcohol in his breath of 140 microgrammes per microlitre of breath. This was about four times the legal limit. This is the highest recorded alcohol level in incidents that the MCA have had to deal with. As a result the Humberside Police commenced an investigation into Mr Fericel. This investigation was assisted by the Enforcement Unit of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Mr Fericel pleaded guilty to breaches of the drink/drive provisions of the Railway and Transport safety Act 2003 and section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, as amended. The Magistrates in transferring the case to the Crown Court said: "The sentencing powers available to the Magistrates Court today were insufficient." the sentencing available to the court is a maximum fine of £5,000 for each offence. Gwen Evans, Surveyor in Charge at the Hull Marine Office, stated: "The abilities of any person in charge of any size or type of vessel should not be impaired by alcohol. Misuse of alcohol at sea is dangerous. It places vessels and all onboard at serious risk." |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 01 March 2006 ) |
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