Ship's captain fined after vessel grounds at Rathlin Island
MV Rutyer |
The
captain of a Dutch motor vessel that ran aground at Rathlin Island has been
fined £1,000 at Armagh Magistrate’s Court after pleading guilty to failing to
keep a proper look out.
Ship’s
captain Aleksandr Iakovtsov of the MV Ruyter pleaded guilty to charges brought
by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). He was charged under the
Merchant Shipping Distress Signals and Prevention of Collision Regulations 1996
and also of failing to safely navigate his ship and causing serious damage to
the ship (in breach of section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995).
On 10
October 2017 at 10.30pm BST the Dutch Cargo Ship ‘Ruyter’ was carrying a cargo
of timber from Lemosov, Russia to Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, when it
grounded on the north coast of Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland.
The
ship called HM Coastguard Belfast and reported the grounding. A lifeboat and
Coastguard Rescue Team was launched and was present when the ship refloated
under its own power. The ship reported no damage at the time and continued her
voyage to Warren point, reporting to the Coastguard every hour. There was no
change of status.
When
the ship arrived at about 1.30pm on 11 October 2017 at Warrenpoint, the pilot
noticed the ship was .75 meters by the head and had a list. The timber deck
cargo had also shifted a little. The harbour master at Warrenpoint found there
was flooding to the bow thrust compartment and to the fore peak tank. She
requested the ship to have an immediate underwater inspection.
An
inspection was carried out on 12 October which revealed extensive damage over
the forward third of the vessel’s length. The number 1 double bottom tank was
breached and flooded in addition to the fore peak and bow thrust compartment.
Due to
the strong winds associated with hurricane Ophelia now rapidly approaching
Ireland, the ship was allowed to berth in Warrenpoint on 15 October 2017. The
cargo was discharged to facilitate further inspection and a port state control
inspection by the MCA resulted in the Ruyter being detained.
His
Worship Paul Copeland said: “It should have been apparent to you as an
experienced mariner that you were on a collision course as you left Islay
towards Northern Ireland. You chose to leave the bridge as the ship approached
the coast of Ireland. It should have been apparent to you from the radar that
you were getting close to the shore. The lights on Rathlin should also be
apparent to you. You are fortunate the ship struck a shallow patch under the
cliffs and that you were able to come off in a short time.
“You
did make an immediate report and engaged the support and rescue services.
Fortunately, no one onboard was injured. It is understandable that you may not
have been aware of the extent of the damage until after some time, fortunately
there was no further incident. I’m satisfied it was not aggravated by alcohol
and that there were no other ships put in danger by the progress of your ship.
I am also taking into account you have been 31 years at sea with 16 years as
captain and in this context you have been relieved of your command and this
will affect your future work.
“I
fine you £1,000, or 28 days in prison if this is not paid within 24 hours. You
will remain in custody until the fine is paid.”
The
master was released later same day and returned to Russia.
Captain
Bill Bennett Technical Manager for the MCA, Northern Ireland said: “I am not
surprised at the extent of the damage. The Captain is very lucky that the
outcome was not more serious. I am very concerned that he failed to have a
lookout on watch with him and that the off-watch alarm and ECDIS alarms should
have been switched on – this put his crew and his vessel at risk.
Thankfully there was no pollution from this incident.
‘Keeping
people safe is at the heart of what we do and we are committed to working with
our partner agencies to protect those at sea by stopping dangerous practices
and vessels making their way on the water, and to hold accountable those
responsible.”