Drunk captain causes cargo ship to crash into rocks
On November 15th, a cargo ship captain was arrested in Greece for drinking while on duty, causing the vessel to collide with rocks.?The Coast Guard stated in a declaration that, according to Greek maritime accident laws, the Ukrainian captain was detained.
On the morning of November 11th, the Bahamas-flagged cargo ship struck rocks southeast of Makronissos Island in the western Aegean Sea. The vessel, carrying 9 crew members, reported no injuries or water ingress. Laden with 4,131 metric tons of melamine pallets, it was en route from Turkey to the Port of Piraeus in Greece when a crack appeared above the waterline on the starboard side.
Captain Drunk Incidents Are Frequent
Cases of accidents caused by captain drunk are all too common. On August 20, 2024, a container ship approaching the La Luz dock near Gran Canaria moved at an unusually slow speed. After an investigation by the National Guard, the captain's alcohol test results were far above the legal limit, resulting in a hefty fine of 75,000 euros (about 571,950 RMB).
On January 15th of the same year, as reported by the BBC, a Polish captain was arrested after his container ship arrived at the Felixstowe Port in the UK. The court was informed that a breathalyzer test revealed his alcohol content was nearly four times the legal limit. Consequently, the captain was sentenced to 8 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, fined, and his contract with the shipping company was terminated.
On February 4, 2022, a Guangzhou-registered multi-purpose ship docked at the Port of Lianhuashan in Panyu, Guangzhou, China, and its captain accidentally fell into the water while walking on the main deck on the port side of the ship near the midship. His body was found on the morning of the 11th near the Nanpai sluice gate in the Folian Gang waterway, confirming his death.?Investigations revealed that the captain had consumed about 100 milliliters of brandy with 40% alcohol content on the day of the incident.
In the early hours of December 13, 2021, a British cargo ship collided with a Danish vessel in the Baltic Sea, causing the latter to capsize almost immediately, resulting in one death and one missing. Post-incident alcohol tests on the British ship's crew showed that the chief and second officers exceeded the legal limit.
On February 28, 2019, a 6,000-ton Russian cargo ship departing from Busan, South Korea, deviated from its course under the captain's command, colliding with the 7,420-meter-long Busan Gwangalli Bridge. The accident deformed the iron structure supporting the bridge. An alcohol test revealed the captain's blood alcohol concentration was 0.86%, 29 times the South Korean DUI standard.
The Dangers of Drinking on Board
Some captains or crew members may believe that as long as they are not drunk and have good driving skills, safety will not be compromised. However, this is not the case, as alcohol affects the judgment and operational abilities of captains and crew.
1.Visual Impairment: Alcohol consumption narrows the field of vision, destabilizes images, and reduces color perception, preventing the recognition of traffic signals and signs.
2.Reduced Judgment: After drinking, attention is scattered, and reaction times to light and sound stimuli are prolonged, making it impossible to correctly judge distances and speeds, process maritime traffic information, or take safety measures against collision risks.
3.Sluggish Actions: Alcohol's numbing effect leads to clumsiness, sluggish reactions, and reduced operational skills, often preventing normal control of the ship's helm.
4.Prone to Taking Risks: After drinking, stimulated by alcohol, individuals may become emotionally impulsive, overly bold, and overestimate their abilities. They may disregard the advice of those around them and often attempt tasks beyond their capabilities.
5.Fatigue and Drowsiness: Following alcohol consumption, due to the effects of alcohol, about 80% of people are likely to feel drowsy, which manifests as irregular navigation, poor spatial vision, and even falling asleep, thereby causing traffic accidents.
Accident Cause Analysis
The lessons are still vivid, warning of the deadly dangers of drinking at sea. Minor mistakes can cause ships to run aground or collide, and in severe cases, can lead to crew casualties. Despite this,?why do tragedies continue to occur? The reasons are mainly as follows:
1.Weak Self-Discipline Among Crew Members
Some captains or crew members, due to long-term work and life at sea, develop a fluke mind, becoming numb to the rules and regulations on board. They believe that as long as they are not driving the ship during their shift, drinking is not a problem, and they lack necessary control over their drinking behavior. This is especially true when work pressure is high, morale is low, and there is a lack of recreational facilities on board, leading crew members to easily turn to alcohol as a way to vent their emotions.
2.Inadequate Management of Work and Living Order on Board
Ships do not place enough emphasis on implementing the vessel's safety management system. Some captains neglect the management of the living order on board, especially the management of crew members' alcohol consumption and the drinking of alcoholic beverages during navigation. Some captains even lead by example in drinking. Some captains are not vigilant enough about the crew's drinking behavior and do not strictly regulate the crew's duty and work behavior according to the relevant drinking regulations, leading to a lack of understanding of the hazards of drinking among the crew.
3.Lack of Safety Management by Shipping Companies
Shipping companies do not fully implement their primary responsibility for safety management, and their management?is not perfect. At the same time, companies lack systematic management of crew members and do not provide necessary entertainment facilities for crew members according to the relevant provisions of the Maritime Labor Convention, leading some crew members to use alcohol as a way to relieve stress.
Chinese Drinking Regulations
1.Article 125 of the?Rules of the People’s Republic of China for the Watchkeeping of Seafarers on Seagoing Vessels?(Ministry of Transport Order No. 10 of 2012) stipulates that crew members shall not indulge in alcohol. Personnel on duty are prohibited from drinking alcohol within four hours before their shift, and their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) must not exceed 0.05% or their breath alcohol concentration must not exceed 0.25mg/L during their shift.
2.The Provisions of the People's Republic of China on Marine and Maritime Administrative Penalties?(Ministry of Transport Order No. 10 of 2019) stipulates that crew members who have alcohol content exceeding the prescribed standards while on duty on board?shall be fined between 1,000 and 10,000 yuan;?in serious cases, their seafarer's certificate of competency may be withheld for six to twenty-four months or even revoked. In the event of an accident, penalties shall be imposed in accordance with Article 25.
3.Article 15 of the Rules of the People’s Republic of China for the Watchkeeping of Seafarers on Inland Navigation Vessels (Ministry of Transport Order No. 20 of 2015) stipulates that crew members are strictly prohibited from indulging in alcohol. Crew members on duty are forbidden to drink alcohol within four hours before their shift and during their shift, and their blood alcohol concentration must not exceed 0.05% or their breath alcohol concentration must not exceed 0.25mg/L during their shift.
4.The Measures for the Administration of Scoring Illegal Acts of Seafarers (Maritime Seafarer [2015] No. 600) stipulates that for ocean-going vessel?crew members, the points value for violations of maritime traffic safety is 15 points for those whose alcohol content in the body exceeds the prescribed standards while on duty on board; for inland waterway vessel crew members, the points value for violations of maritime traffic safety is 15 points for those who drink alcohol while on duty and whose alcohol content in the body exceeds the prescribed standards.
International Regulations
It is strictly forbidden to consume any alcoholic beverages during working hours, overtime, or within four hours before starting work or duty.
Shipping companies formulate drug and alcohol policies based on guidelines provided by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF). The International Maritime Organization (IMO) recommends a maximum blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% during duty, which is the minimum safety standard on board. However, many companies require stricter limits, such as 0.04% or a complete ban on drinking. In addition, the revised STCW Convention of 2010 requires competent authorities to take appropriate measures to prevent alcohol abuse. Competent authorities also mandate that the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of captains, officers, and other seafarers must not exceed 0.05% and the breath alcohol concentration must not exceed 0.25mg/L?when performing designated safety, security, and marine environmental protection duties.
The laws and regulations regarding alcohol consumption on ships may vary from country to country, but there is a general trend towards lower tolerance and stricter penalties for captains and crew who drink. For instance, in the UK, the Merchant Shipping (Alcohol) (Specified Limits Revision) Regulations 2015 set even lower limits for alcohol consumption by professional seafarers.
In the shipping industry, safety is always the paramount concern. As the figurehead of the vessel, a captain's responsibility extends beyond navigation; it includes ensuring the safety of every crew member's life. These incidents have undoubtedly sounded a wake-up call for the entire shipping industry. Shipping companies must enhance the training and supervision of their captains to ensure strict adherence to safety rules and prevent similar occurrences.
As the year draws to a close, some companies or vessels have the custom of organizing group meals. With the weather turning colder, some crew members may be inclined to drink alcohol to ward off the chill. For the safety of navigation and the happiness of their families, crew members must avoid participating in ship operations and duty after drinking. Crew members working on board should monitor and remind each other, never taking chances by operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol. If any crew member on duty is found to be drinking excessively on board, it is crucial to intervene promptly to prevent accidents such as falls overboard or other mishaps.
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