Intoxicated Russian Captain Crashes Freighter Into Moored Ship At Bremen Port

A Russian ship captain struck a moored vessel while trying to leave the port of Bremen, Germany, on Thursday evening. The accident happened at Terminal 1. No one was injured, but both ships suffered minor damage.

The 55-year-old Russian national was commanding the 8,500-deadweight-ton coastal freighter Wilson Nanjing when the incident happened. According to Bremen’s water police, the vessel grazed the bow of another ship that was tied up at the pier while undocking.

When officers from the Bremen Water Police arrived to assess the situation, they noticed the strong smell of alcohol on the captain. He agreed to take a breathalyzer test, which showed a blood alcohol level of over 1.6 per mille.

Following this, the authorities stopped the captain from continuing the voyage. A follow-up blood test was ordered, and a security deposit of $6,000 was held.

The captain is now under investigation for allegedly putting maritime traffic at risk by operating the vessel under the influence of alcohol.

According to maritime tracking platform Vesseltracker, a part of Wood Mackenzie, the ship involved in the incident is the Wilson Nanjing.

Data from AIS provider Pole Staer showed that the vessel briefly left Weserport Terminal 1 around 1800 GMT on Thursday before quickly returning to the dock.

The ship stayed at the same pier for several days before being moved to another berth within Bremen’s industrial harbor.

Reference: infomarine

Source: Maritime Shipping News