A master was arrested in Greece on Friday, four days after the multipurpose vessel he commanded hit a rock while the 46-year-old was under the influence of alcohol.
Coastguards said in a statement that the Ukrainian captain is detained under Greek laws governing maritime accidents, including alcoholic consumption while on duty.
The Bahama-flagged cargo ship hit a rock on 11 November off Makronissos — a barren island in the central Aegean Sea.
The vessel, which is understood to be the 6,400-dwt Karewood Glory (built 2006), suffered a rift on its port side above the load line. Accompanied by a tug, the Karewood Glory sailed on under its own steam and eventually reached Piraeus, where it awaits class inspection.
Nine Ukrainian seafarers were on board the vessel and none of them suffered any injury.
The absence of serious damage or casualties may help the arrested master get off relatively lightly.
Greek law metes out multi-year prison sentences for seafarers found guilty of causing accidents. Particularly aggravating circumstances are proof of intent, as well as the causing of material injury or damage, particularly to third-party assets.
Drunkenness in itself is not punished severely, with the relevant paragraph setting out six months of prison for being on duty in a “drunken state”.
“Prison”, however, does not automatically entail incarceration and is usually convertible into a fine that can range between €10 ($10.57) and €100 a day.
The S&P Global database lists the Karewood Glory with Estonia-based Karewood Management OU.
Managers at the Tallinn-based company, whose fleet comprises four identical sister ships, declined to comment.
According to Estonian registry data, the firm was registered in the Baltic country two years ago, is owned by an entity of the same name based in Cyprus and is controlled by Ukrainian interests.
Before Karewood was set up, the company’s four vessels had been listed with Kyiv-based DD Shipping.
