3 Vietnamese Seafarers Arrested After Attempting To Break Into Captain’s Cabin With An Axe

Three Vietnamese crew members have been arrested by the Busan Coast Guard after assaulting a fellow crew member and attempting to break into the captain’s cabin with fire axes and hammers aboard a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship docked at Gamcheon Port.

The coast guard said on 17 November that the three men were detained on charges including aggravated assault, intimidation, coercion, and property damage. The incident began on 9 November when the 2,998-ton cargo vessel, carrying 15 Vietnamese crew members, was anchored at the port.

According to the authorities, the three suspects, reported to be a deckmaster, a helmsman, and a crew leader, had been drinking and singing loudly in the ship’s mess hall shortly after midnight.

When another crew member asked them to keep the noise down, they allegedly struck him on the face and head using a chair and their fists, and also threatened him with a weapon.

The captain informed the shipping company about the assault and decided the three men would be forcibly disembarked. The coast guard reported that after learning of this decision, the suspects continued drinking in one of their cabins and discussed how to overturn the order.

At around 2:40 a.m., they armed themselves with fire axes and sledgehammers and went to the captain’s cabin, demanding that he open the door. When he refused, they reportedly tried to break it down and then damaged the doors of other officers’ cabins, including those of the first and third mates.

The shipping agent, who was contacted by the captain, alerted the coast guard. Officers boarded the vessel and arrested the three men on the spot.

The authorities later said the situation was considered a serious case that had the potential to escalate into secondary crimes, including possibly a murder.

A senior investigator from the Busan Coast Guard said the agency would respond firmly in cases where weapons are used and shipboard order or port safety is threatened. The official added that investigators were continuing to examine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

References: the chosun, asiae

Source: Maritime Shipping News