The Russian captain of a cargo ship is under investigation for allegedly operating his vessel while intoxicated after it collided with a moored ship while departing the Port of Bremen in Germany on Thursday.
According to the Bremen Water Police, the 55-year-old master of the Wilson Nanjing, an 8 500 DWT coastal freighter, grazed the bow of a vessel that was securely berthed at Terminal 1.
The captain, who has not been identified, had briefly undocked his vessel when he crashed into the moored vessel.
No injuries were reported, however both vessels sustained minor damage in the incident.
Water police officers who responded to the scene allegedly detected a strong smell of alcohol on the captain and conducted a voluntary breathalyser test. The test revealed a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 1.6 per ml, more than three times the legal limit under German maritime law.
Authorities immediately prevented the captain from continuing his voyage. A blood sample was taken to confirm the alcohol reading, and officials withheld a security deposit of $6 000 as part of the enforcement process.
Police confirmed that a formal investigation of endangering maritime traffic was under way, a serious offence under German shipping safety regulations
The freighter involved in the incident was identified by maritime analytics firm Vesseltracker as the Wilson Nanjing. The ship had been berthed at Weserport Terminal 1 at the time of the accident.
Pole Star’s Automatic Identification System tracking data showed that the vessel briefly departed the terminal at approximately 18h00 GMT on Thursday before promptly returning to the pier. The Wilson Nanjing remained docked for several days following the incident and has since shifted to another berth within the port where it has remained.
The vessel is operated by Wilson ASA, a Norway-based shipping company that manages a fleet of modern short-sea vessels trading throughout Europe.
