Celebrity Capt Removed for Drunkness

[HumanCookie]

Just got off the Mercury on Friday and had dinner with Captain Petridis on the first formal night. We did have wine at the captains table and it was a fun time. I am sad too see him relieved of his duties since he was a good captain. Maybe in fact as mentioned in the post by Ms Brown it wasnt this Captain.

 

Guess we will find out soon enough. Looks like no more social drinking for cruise personnel.

 

Don

 

Don, you have just confirmed the ID of the Captain. So it is Petridis who got arrested.

[captbill]

Don, you have just confirmed the ID of the Captain. So it is Petridis who got arrested.

 

Don only confirmed the name of the Captain who had command of the previous cruise. There's still the possibility that command changed on Friday morning.

[idssms]

All I can confirm is yes,, when I was on the Alaska sailing last week on the Mercury, Capt Petredis was the Captain/Master.

 

I was 100% certain it was him arrested until I read the post by Ms Brown the editor of this board who posted it could be one of two captains. That confused me a bit since there was only one captain aboard the ship.

 

The only thing maybe a new Captain joined the ship in Seattle. Petridis was relieveing a captain who was on vacation and could be the other captain was returning to the Mercury but thats unlikely since Petridis just started this assignment on May 8th.

 

Again, I feel bad for him and his family all politics aside. From the percentage of alcohol in his body it was probably 2 glasses of wine. I dont drink alcohol and am always the DD when we go out but still feel for those that get placed in the slammer for 3 beers that are social drinkers and not habitual offenders but this isnt a venue to discuss the morality of drinking and driving.

 

I d say that yes, its 99% fact that Captain Petridis was the one arrested for the offense. I am in Seattle for a few more days visiting friends and will monitor the papers here until I leave for retirement heaven (Fl). I do feel really sorry for Capt Petridis if he is in jail awaiting his court appearance.

 

Don

[frchteaze]

Again, I feel bad for him and his family all politics aside. From the percentage of alcohol in his body it was probably 2 glasses of wine. I dont drink alcohol and am always the DD when we go out but still feel for those that get placed in the slammer for 3 beers that are social drinkers and not habitual offenders but this isnt a venue to discuss the morality of drinking and driving.

 

Thanks for posting some idea of how much alcohol it takes to reach the limit. When I read the limit for ship captains was .040, I thought one glass of wine would put me over the top. :D

 

But I am proud of the way X has handled this. Whether or not he is a great guy or he had a bad day or whatever doesn't really matter that much from the passenger's point of view. The humanitarian in me feels bad for him, but the fact is he had a responsibility to abide by policies and ensure the safety of his ship and all of those onboard.

 

My bigger concern would be his judgment. If he's willing to break one rule for whatever reason, what other safety precautions is he willing to forego? :eek:

[idssms]

Thanks for posting some idea of how much alcohol it takes to reach the limit. When I read the limit for ship captains was .040, I thought one glass of wine would put me over the top. :D

 

But I am proud of the way X has handled this. Whether or not he is a great guy or he had a bad day or whatever doesn't really matter that much from the passenger's point of view. The humanitarian in me feels bad for him, but the fact is he had a responsibility to abide by policies and ensure the safety of his ship and all of those onboard.

 

My bigger concern would be his judgment. If he's willing to break one rule for whatever reason, what other safety precautions is he willing to forego? :eek:

 

 

I totally agree with you and your post!!!

 

About 5 years ago a very close family member of mine attended a retirement party and had a few drinks (maybe 3 over 2 hrs) and sure enough got pulled over and arrested. This family member hardly ever drank but to celebrate the occassion did,, and it was very costly. Lesson learned tho and things returned back to normal after a few years. Poor Petridis tho,,,,, will be out of a job and most likely will never be hired again by a shipping company to command a ship,, all because of two glasses of vino... WOW.... that was my point but the law is the law. If I was familiar with Seattle I d go visit him today in jail and see how he was doing but I dont have a way to do that.

 

Don

[HumanCookie]

I totally agree with you and your post!!!

 

About 5 years ago a very close family member of mine attended a retirement party and had a few drinks (maybe 3 over 2 hrs) and sure enough got pulled over and arrested. This family member hardly ever drank but to celebrate the occassion did,, and it was very costly. Lesson learned tho and things returned back to normal after a few years. Poor Petridis tho,,,,, will be out of a job and most likely will never be hired again by a shipping company to command a ship,, all because of two glasses of vino... WOW.... that was my point but the law is the law. If I was familiar with Seattle I d go visit him today in jail and see how he was doing but I dont have a way to do that.

 

Don

 

Don, you are our eyes and ears there on the scene.

[cruiselover20]

I totally agree with you and your post!!!

 

About 5 years ago a very close family member of mine attended a retirement party and had a few drinks (maybe 3 over 2 hrs) and sure enough got pulled over and arrested. This family member hardly ever drank but to celebrate the occassion did,, and it was very costly. Lesson learned tho and things returned back to normal after a few years. Poor Petridis tho,,,,, will be out of a job and most likely will never be hired again by a shipping company to command a ship,, all because of two glasses of vino... WOW.... that was my point but the law is the law. If I was familiar with Seattle I d go visit him today in jail and see how he was doing but I dont have a way to do that.

 

Don

 

However, no one has said what his BA was. On the TV news with the Coast Guard, they stated that over .04 was illegal for the captain of a ship, and I believe they said his was considerably higher.

 

No doubt the number will come out, but it was most likely MORE than just two glasses of wine. Anyway, he knew the rules, and he broke them, and now better he pay than a ship load of innocent passengers.

 

Sorry about your family member, but drinking and driving (a car, ship, train, etc) do not mix.

[dogsrule]

:mad: I believe that we may be jumping the gun so to speak with comdemning the captain. No, I don't approve of a "drunk" captain, however, having two glasses of wine with lunch hardly constitutes being drunk. In addition, there are other officers on board who are fully capable of taking charge if need be. I would hate to think that this mans career is down the tubes for having a couple of glasses of wine with lunch. Also, if it is found he does have some sort of alcohol problem, doesn't he deserve a chance at redemption or treatment? Is that how RCCL handles their employees who have an illness?? You're fired??? Most companies would relieve him of his duties temporarily until he gets some help or completes a program of recovery. Hate to tell you folks, but even surgeons get a chance of retaining their license and going to treatment. JMHO

[Fblack]

I was on the Mercury 3 weeks ago with Captain P. There are always two Captains on board at all times. The second is called a Staff Captain. He is also a licenced Master. He is second in command after the Master of the vessel. His name was Konstantinos Nikolis.

 

I guess its possible he was the one.

[cruiselover20]

:mad: I believe that we may be jumping the gun so to speak with comdemning the captain. No, I don't approve of a "drunk" captain, however, having two glasses of wine with lunch hardly constitutes being drunk. In addition, there are other officers on board who are fully capable of taking charge if need be. I would hate to think that this mans career is down the tubes for having a couple of glasses of wine with lunch. Also, if it is found he does have some sort of alcohol problem, doesn't he deserve a chance at redemption or treatment? Is that how RCCL handles their employees who have an illness?? You're fired??? Most companies would relieve him of his duties temporarily until he gets some help or completes a program of recovery. Hate to tell you folks, but even surgeons get a chance of retaining their license and going to treatment. JMHO

 

Guess a few drinks is okay for the pilot that is flying your plane, too. Just a couple, and there is always the copilot.....and with autopilot, why should we care.

 

Maybe this is what is wrong with our society, "just give them one more chance".....

[Hoopyfrood]

:mad: I believe that we may be jumping the gun so to speak with comdemning the captain. No, I don't approve of a "drunk" captain, however, having two glasses of wine with lunch hardly constitutes being drunk. In addition, there are other officers on board who are fully capable of taking charge if need be. I would hate to think that this mans career is down the tubes for having a couple of glasses of wine with lunch. Also, if it is found he does have some sort of alcohol problem, doesn't he deserve a chance at redemption or treatment? Is that how RCCL handles their employees who have an illness?? You're fired??? Most companies would relieve him of his duties temporarily until he gets some help or completes a program of recovery. Hate to tell you folks, but even surgeons get a chance of retaining their license and going to treatment. JMHO

 

Just for perspective's sake:

 

TITLE 33--NAVIGATION AND NAVIGABLE WATERS

 

 

 

CHAPTER I--COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

 

 

 

PART 95_OPERATING A VESSEL WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR A

 

DANGEROUS DRUG--Table of Contents

 

 

 

Sec. 95.045 General operating rules for vessels inspected, or subject

 

to inspection, under Chapter 33 of Title 46 United States Code.

 

 

 

While on board a vessel inspected, or subject to inspection, under

 

Chapter 33 of Title 46 United States Code, a crewmember (including a

 

licensed individual), pilot, or watchstander not a regular member of the

 

crew:

 

(a) Shall not perform or attempt to perform any scheduled duties

 

within four hours of consuming any alcohol;

 

(b) Shall not be intoxicated at any time;

 

© Shall not consume any intoxicant while on watch or duty; and

 

(d) May consume a legal non-prescription or prescription drug

 

provided the drug does not cause the individual to be intoxicated.

 

So while under US law his intoxication level outside US waters is up to the flagging nation's laws, while under US jurisdiction no member of the crew may meet or exceed the definition of intoxicated ever. I did find that there is another portion of the provision (95.015) that states that ANY crewmember aboard ship is considered "operating" the vessel if it is not a recreational vessel. Thus, even though the law in open waters may be (not sure) that he can hand control to another qualified master and become intoxicated, it's not permitted within US waters. It is possible that he believed that he was allowed to be in his state while a licensed harbor pilot was in command (as he is not in legal command of the vessel at that time), but the code was revised in 2005 and may have changed the wording to not permit this any longer. He may just not have known about the change is code. Horrible way to lose your master's license. :(

[Host Anne]

Don ~ there was a referance earlier to Capt. Anastassios Salessiotis who was the capt of Mercury when we sailed on her in February. I believe that's the other captain Carolyn was referring to.

[mechcc]

The man was over the legal limit. He was responsible for the safety of passengers and crew. Feel sorry for him? No way. He knew the rules, if he can't or won't abide by them, then he should not be in a position of trust for the lives of that many people.

Yes his career is over but thank goodness there wasn't a serious accident and others lost their lives due to an impaired captain.

[frchteaze]

I was on the Mercury 3 weeks ago with Captain P. There are always two Captains on board at all times. The second is called a Staff Captain. He is also a licenced Master. He is second in command after the Master of the vessel. His name was Konstantinos Nikolis.

 

I guess its possible he was the one.

 

This is a quote from the article Mctrekkie posted on page 1 of this thread:

The captain of Celebrity Cruises Mercury was relieved of command today, and he will be dismissed form the company following his failure to pass a breath alcohol test given to him by the U.S. Coast Guard. A staff captain who is fully qualified is assuming command," a company statement said.

 

My guess is, it's Captain P. who got in trouble. But we won't know for sure until they can legally release his name or someone on the ship now checks in.

[mctrekkie]

Here's the article from today's Seattle Times with a few more details.

 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003007178_cruise20m.html

[lionheart]

I am sure the event will unfold with additonal infomation. It is unfortunate that his job is lost especially if it is due to a potential addiction. However, this doesn't excuse his lack of judgement and potentialy putting lives in peril.

 

 

 

K

[idssms]

Don ~ there was a referance earlier to Capt. Anastassios Salessiotis who was the capt of Mercury when we sailed on her in February. I believe that's the other captain Carolyn was referring to.

 

 

thanks anne for clarifying.

 

on may 9th susan and I had a great dinner with capt petridis, he was most cordial, charming and the perfect host. I knew him from the galaxy a few years back when we met at the captain's table for dinner and he seemed so pleased to see us on the Mercury.

 

His arrest just became a bit personal to me since I said goodbye to him Friday morning before leaving the ship and said I would sail with him again next year. i just hope a lesson was learned by all and we wont ever see this happening again on a cruiseliner. Its just too bad it had to be at Capt Petridis expense,,,who was such a gentleman.

 

Don

[bepsf]

Am I the only one who read the report that states that he had over double the legal limit? .04 equals a couple big glasses of wine or a couple beers or a martini .08 equals FOUR glasses of wine, four beers or two martinis.

 

Folks who get DUI's generally have driven drunk over 25 times before getting caught.

 

I'd be willing to bet that he was drinking far more than "this one time with his lunch" to be brazen enough to stand in front of the US Coast Guard smelling like alchohol - it's not like he didn't know they were darned likely to be coming aboard that day...

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

Perhaps it is a good idea to wait until all the FACTS are known before speculating what happened and exactly who was relieved of his duties.

 

Last time I checked, it was still innocent until proven guilty, unless that has changed in the last few years along with everthing else.

[WillK]

What a sad situation. Just got off the Mercury yesterday and had an incredible cruise! As a boater and a non-drinker, I can assure you that skippering under the influence is not an unusual situation. Of course, with a large ship, the stakes are much higher. I found the Captain to be a very cordial and interesting host and feel nothing but sorrow for his personal misfortune.

[Host Anne]

Folks ~ just a quick reminder to keep this thread on topic. Please do not bring politics or the war into the topic.

 

Thanks for your cooperation!

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

While I totally agree this is a most unfortunate news event, I think it would be fair of all of us, to wait and see who the "Official" Captain was, and his name released, before we talk in detail about any particular Captain.

 

The vast majority of Celebrity's Captains and Officers (and all other Cruise Lines) are wonderful, and it is not fair to any of them, to be specific as we cannot be 100% certain of who it was.

 

Thank you very much for your consideration.

[pearlie]

In my opinion, and having worked in the addictions field, i believe the Capt endangered the crew, passengers, ship and puget sound... He was twice the legal maritime limit, knew the rules of not drinking within 8 hrs of his shift, even if his staff could and would cover for him.

It is a horrible personal tradgedy for him and his family. I do have compassion for his plight, but no sympathy as he was wrong.

[Ballwin Babe]

Anyone know the dates of Captain Petridis' command of the Galaxy? We were on the Galaxy out of Galveston Dec 20-30, 2004. Just wondering if he was in command for our sail. I can't remember the captain's name.

 

Gina! YES! I absolutely remember you! We met lounging around on Deck 10 aft one day, then several subsequent days! I remember comparing our "bargain hound" notes and you have a nose and a knack for finding them! I'm surprised you didn't see the Nov. 10 Galaxy Med on your bargain radar! It came flashing across my screen, that's for sure. In fact, the deal is so good, we're taking our daughter out of school and "home" (ship) schooling for a week or two!

 

David, your trip sounds AWESOME!! I will be happy to share our experiences once we return. November is not "high" travel month for Italy. However, a friend of mine travelled to Rome Nov. 2005 and said the weather was FANTASTIC. Sunny and warm (borderline hot). Rome is so wonderful, that not even a downpour will ruin our enjoyment.

 

I don't know Lois R. but if/when she posts, would love to know the "inside" story! :eek:

[excitedofharpenden]

jstrathman, I think it would have been Captain Peppas on Galaxy at that time.

 

Phil