Captain & First Mate Murdered By Fellow Crew Member And Ex-Convict

A sailor with a past criminal record murdered a captain and the first officer on board an oil tanker. The perpetrator then surrendered himself to the authorities, requesting the coast guard to arrest him via radio communication.

At about 11.30 pm on Friday, the murder of Juan Alfonso Pegasano, the First Officer, and Captain Alejandro Daniel García happened aboard Ayane, a Maltese-flagged oil tanker.

On 11 October, Ayane with 21 crew members had set sail from the Port of Buenos Aires. It was later anchored close to Punta Lara.

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Carlos Lima, the perpetrator, was a fifty-two-year-old third officer on the oil tanker. He is also a former Police lieutenant. Lima had been dismissed back in 2007 for reasons that remain unknown.

The perpetrator committed the initial crime when he began smashing the pavements on the street to stop the accumulation of water from the drain of a washing machine. When a neighbour had sought an explanation, the latter all received six bullets: two in his spine, one in his abdomen, one in the left leg, and two in his left arm. The victim was rushed to a hospital and he ultimately survived.

Lima had been sentenced to prison for seven and a half years by a La Plata court. The year 2013 saw his release after five years. He went back to work on merchant vessels, a career in which Lima became the third officer.

For all these reasons, Lima had earned himself a nickname – “El Loco”, meaning the mad one.

Coast Guard officers eventually boarded Ayane at about 1.40 am on Saturday and arrested Lima. The gun could not be located. It was possibly thrown into the water.

A Coast Guard spokesman said that it was not evident how the events unfolded as it is thought that the attacker may have suffered an unforeseen psychotic breakdown.

The crew kept themselves separate until the Coast Guard came to their rescue and took control of the happenings.

It is still unclear how Lima had with him a firearm onboard because merchant sailors are never permitted to keep weapons. However, the TN news service had sources that explained how checkups are not quite thorough.

Reference: en.mercopress.com

Captain & First Mate Murdered By Fellow Crew Member And Ex-Convict appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News