The captain of a massive container ship was arrested last week for being heavily intoxicated while in command of the vessel at the Port of Seattle. The incident unfolded on Wednesday when the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) boarded the MSC Jubilee IX at Terminal 5 and apprehend the captain following reports of his impaired behavior.
Details provided by the U.S. Coast Guard indicated that suspicion arose from a Puget Sound Pilot, who was on board and noticed the captain's signs of intoxication. He, along with the first mate, subsequently took charge of the ship during its transit from an anchorage near Everett, Wash., to Seattle's Terminal 5. They achieved this without incident, ensuring the safety of the vessel and its crew amidst potentially dangerous circumstances.
Upon the ship's arrival at Terminal 5, the Coast Guard's boarding team conducted a port state control examination, where a field sobriety test and breathalyzer confirmed the captain's impairment, with levels more than six times the legal limit for a commercial mariner. The unnamed captain was immediately taken into custody and booked into King County Jail, with the local Prosecutor's Office taking on the charges of boating under the influence.
"The Coast Guard is proud to ensure the safety and security of the maritime transportation system,” Paul Shultz, Special Agent in Charge at the CGIS Northwest Field Office, said to the U.S. Coast Guard. His praises for the Pilot's intervention pointed towards the averted risks and the preserved safety of the vessel's passage. The MSC Jubilee IX, which operates under the Liberian flag and stretches a considerable 333 meters, was temporarily detained but has since been permitted to resume operations following the appointment of a relief captain.
