Celebrity Capt Removed for Drunkness

[FinelyCruising]

[quote name='flagger']You are so wrong FC. As someone who does know something about fighting fires, I can tell you that an on-duty Batallion Chief or Incident Commander who was found to be legally impaired at the location of a fully involved fire would be immediately dismissed and stripped of his command.

The captain/master of the vessel is the one ultimately responsible for the safety of the SOB's (souls on board). As the decision to abandon ship lies with him and he alone, I certainly wouldn't want someone who was caught in a non-life threatening situation to EVER command a vessel again. I certainly would not trust my, my families or even your life under his command ever. As I said before, who knows how many times he had put himself in this situation and how many lives he put at risk throughout his career.[/quote]

Flag - In many instances the Captain is part of the hierarchy, and I am not intending to diminish his capacity while on board, just put it into a perspective. It is not the Captain giving the approval to sound a fire alarm. The mechanical systems do that, so once again, rely that the systems are working, and that the engineers see what is happing when the alarm is sounded and controls are in place, and I am going to beleive that is so. The Captain can come and analyze the situation at some point, with the benefit of all the relevant information form his staff, but by that point in time, all the worker bees are already doing the jobs they have been trained to do to contain the fire and to get the passengers to safety, and without waiting for a directive from the Captain to do just those things.

I could care less if he was blasted each and every day and night. I feel very comfortable that the system of checks and balances are in place, so I don't worry.

If he has a drinking problem, well, we all know that you are not allowed to drink while on the job. We know it's a liability, but in this case, I don't necessarily feel my life is in danger as a result of it.

[mctrekkie]

Just heard this on our local NBC affiliate.

- Charges with operating a vessel under the influence

- Blood alcohol level was twice the breath level, despite the time elapsed. The Capt. admitted to drinking in his stateroom while the federal authorities were waiting for him.

The station is [URL="http://www.king5.com"]www.king5.com[/URL] and I'm sure they'll have the story on the web in the next hour so.

[FinelyCruising]

[quote name='mctrekkie']The Capt. admitted to drinking in his stateroom while the federal authorities were waiting for him.

[/quote]

Anyone besides me remember Bart getting ready to go with his son Johnny off of Pine Island in "A Summer Place"?

[cruznut1111]

According to KING5 news - (try KING5 dot com) - the latest on Capt P from the arraignment is that he initially blew .09 and then, after he was escorted to his quarters to get his stuff had some more to drink while the guards were waiting outside. Second test was much higher.

There is a very real chance that he will do significant jail time.

I think the only good news here is that the ship departed safely with a sober captain on board.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

[quote name='cruznut1111']
I think the only good news here is that the ship departed safely with a sober captain on board.[/quote]

That's what I have been wondering about. How did Celebrity line up a replacement captain so fast. Do they have captians on standby in every port?

[Host Anne]

Heavysurf ~ they don't have captains standing by in every port. They sail with more than one person that is capable of taking over command of the vessel, most likely the Staff Captain. I don't know if we heard that's who stepped in on Mercury but there is always someone else on the ship to take over should something happen to the captain.

[FinelyCruising]

I learned of a commentary once on substance abuse which would help those in this predicament assess their condtions to their need...the disclaimer for this is a rough translation of the following.....

The acronym is H A L T

which was meant to have someone recognize the conditons that lead up to crossing a line to substance abuse.

Hurt

Angry

Lonely

Tired

None of these are conditions are easy to combat and take....

[mctrekkie]

[quote name='Host Anne']Heavysurf ~ they don't have captains standing by in every port. They sail with more than one person that is capable of taking over command of the vessel, most likely the Staff Captain. I don't know if we heard that's who stepped in on Mercury but there is always someone else on the ship to take over should something happen to the captain.[/quote]

Anne, the Staff Captain is the one the Coast Guard approved to take the ship. The USCG requires more than 1 person with a Master's Certificate onboard these vessels.

Just saw an interview with Capt Petrides lawyer, Anne Bremner (she's a VERY savvy criminal defense atty, does commentary for cable news channels and Court TV), and she's firmly saying he's innocent, the breatholizer results were flawed (blew a .091 initially), and he wasn't "operating" a vessel as charged. Attys in Seattle have had a LOT of recent success getting these tests tossed, and she's VERY, VERY good at what she does. [URL="http://www.kirotv.com"]www.kirotv.com[/URL] did the interview/report, and should have something online soon.

Capt Petrides is still in custody on an immigration hold.

[QQRZZA]

Quote Finelycrusing "I could care less if he was blasted each and every day and night. I feel very comfortable that the system of checks and balances are in place, so I don't worry.

If he has a drinking problem, well, we all know that you are not allowed to drink while on the job. We know it's a liability, but in this case, I don't necessarily feel my life is in danger as a result of it.[/quote]

You can't be serious! The Captain is the ultimate authority. He/she makes the decision to abandon ship, as well as "routine" leadership decisions. He's paid to be sober, competent and in charge, 24/7. His judgement affects the lives of almost 4,000 people on-board, ten times that of a 747. We wouldn't tolerate someone with a .08 driving our kids school bus, nor operating our flight home. The staff officers of the ship have limited authority in their area of expertise. All major decisions go to the master of the vessel.

Is this judgemental? You bet. We use the same judgement when we grab the car keys frome a friend who has also had too much. Save the crocadile tears! RCCL/Celebrity did the right thing. They now need to look at the rest of their operation to make sure the workplace is safe.

[MSBYRDY]

PETRIDIS, PERIKLIS F Custody/Facility: OUT Book Date: 05/19/2006 20:43 BA: 206020226 Release Date: 05/22/2006 10:10

[trcori]

from Tuesday's Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
[url]http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/271242_captain23.html[/url]

I saw the court docs when they were made public earlier in the day. The article doesn't exactly state the exact order of events according to the affidavit, which said that (see last line of article) his alleged "drinking in cabin" occurred AFTER the first breathalyzer test, before the second one.

Interesting also that he wasn't taken off the ship till 5 pm-ish -- when Mercury was originally scheduled to sail (it finally left just after 6).

[Ocean Boy]

So, the wheels are in motion to get him off because he wasn't "operating" the vessel at the time. Now they will have a slug fest over what "operating" actually means. The legal system is wonderful.

He may not have been driving the ship but it sure was being made ready to put to sea. Even if he gets off on legal grounds he broke Celebrity's 8 hr. rule. And if nothing else, he sure created one heck of a mess for himself and Celebrity.

[tbelian]

[B]Hungry[/B], angry, lonely, tired.

[Ocean Boy]

[quote name='tbelian'][B]Hungry[/B], angry, lonely, tired.[/QUOTE]
Hungry.... on a cruise ship??!!:confused:

[Sky Sweet]

This Captain had to know the consequences of being intoxicated when a ship is about to leave port, so I can't imagine that he would have been stupid enough to make one mistake that would ruin his career. That leads me to believe that he probably has a serious drinking problem and could not help himself. If that is the case, I think it is very sad, but that does not negate the fact that you can't put the lives of a ship full of passengers and crew in danger because you feel sorry for a Captain who appears to have a drinking problem.

[Barry ATL]

Here is the part I am now wondering about:

[B]Bremner said that regardless, her client was not at the helm of the ship or even on duty at the time the breath-alcohol tests were administered, making the charge meritless.

[/B]If he was not on duty, when was he supposed to go on duty? If he had the day off, then he did not commit a crime. I am just guessing here. There is a staff captain on board and Capt. Petridis could have been taking a shore day. Just a thought.... not likely, but a thought.

[TPKeller]

I know there are a lot of posts here, but wouldn't it make a little sense to read some of them before jumping in? This is now the third time this particular text has been posted.

[QUOTE]"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:

(b) Shall not be intoxicated at any time;"[/QUOTE]
If they are on the ship "while on board", they can't be drunk. "not ... at any time".

Theron

[DC2OC]

I feel bad for the Captain,but he broke Celebritys rules and probably should pay the price.According to reports we saw on channel 7 in Seattle he was not drunk, his level was above .04 (DUI for Sea Captains)and below .08 .They mentioned the Captain would have been legal to drive a car in the State of Washington but Celebrity has a policy Against drinking 8 hrs b4 a sail.

[apfra.]

Obviously not a social drinker! To put it bluntly -- the fool is a drunk, he's a clever one though, and has been able to hide it well. It was just a matter of time before it caught up to him. He drank "while changing clothes", and then had the intentions of operating a cruise ship. I hope this guy gets some help and can get his life back together.

[flagger]

I wonder if the cruisers on the ill fated bleaching Mercury trips have further leverage now that the captain of said vessel has been arrested.

[FinelyCruising]

Different Captain.

[DC2OC]

There is no evidence to put it bluntly that this guy is a drunk.he srewed up but he never appeared intoxicated on the ship and .07 is not drunk

[cruisintwinsmom]

[quote name='DC2OC']There is no evidence to put it bluntly that this guy is a drunk.he srewed up but he never appeared intoxicated on the ship and .07 is not drunk[/quote]

If "appearance" could indicate intoxication, then maybe breatholizers (sp) wouldn't be necessary, other than for legal purposes. Oh yeah, I forgot, they don't always hold water for that either.

[Lois R]

Hello....I am in Ketchican....with about 30 minutes left before heading back to the ship....this internet cafe is just across the peir...I can see Mercury from this chair.


I am having a FANTASTIC TIME:D the ship is in great shape...staff is fantastic....(AS PER ALL MY CRUISES)....food is wonderful......ship seems to be sparkling...in my opinion;)

As for the CAPTAIN.........I think it was public knowledge BEFORE we pax knew what happened......it has not affected my cruise one bit. We were all sent a letter.......stating the Capt is not allowed to consume ANY ALOCOHOL within 8 hours prior to the next sailing..........I am assuming he drank something? I do know the staff and crew were as surprised as anyone else.......as I stated, the cruise is going smoothly and for me, I have not noticed anything different.........whoever is in charge.

Alaska is BEAUTIFUL......the weather has been AWESOME:)

My tablemates are terrific........Claudia, Charlie, Steve and Sherri..our waiter is Adrian..he is from Romania and Asst is Budi..from Bali.

MAITR'D....FABULOUS!!!! Richard from Poland did seatings.....and our Maitr'd is Zafer...EXCELLENT!

That is about it.........will try and post a review this weekend after I get home.
Again, Mercury looks good to me!!!! It is great to sail her again....my waiter and ass't from my first time on her are here again too! (That was 2 years ago)!

Walter, I met Delia...and she says hello!

Take care ya'll!!!!

[SheilaNC]

Lois,
Thanks so much for posting. We've all been wondering about how this particular cruise is going. Thanks for such a positive review...makes my wait until July even longer. I look forward to your full review - have a wonderful rest of your cruise.