Celebrity Capt Removed for Drunkness

[Ocean Boy]

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

People who drink a lot develope tolerance to alcohol. So a heavy drinker might blow twice 0.8 and not be drunk. Does that make it ok for him to go out and drive a car? Whether he was drunk or not is far from the point. He broke both Coast Guard rules and Celebrity rules. That is the issue.

[Sky Sweet]

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

 

If that Captain did not have a drinking problem, why would he risk his career by drinking twice the legal limit established by Maritime Law?

[TPKeller]

... and .07 is not drunk

This is the same as saying "50 mph is not speeding"...

 

It may be true if you're driving on the interstate, but not in a school zone.

 

Assuming the tests are confirmed, according to the rules he was bound to, he was intoxicated. Do "drunk" and "intoxicated" mean the same thing? It doesn't really make any difference.

 

Theron

[DC2OC]

gee whiz,now I've seen published reports that he was between .07 and .185,to read .04 according to Reuters you have to drink 12oz beer within 3 hrs of a test,so if he read .07 which I read in the paper he may of had two .He broke the rules ,but .07 is no offense in most states,50 in a school zone=reckless driving,NO comparrison whatsoever.The Captain should be punished,getting fired is a raw deal

[cruisintwinsmom]

,but .07 is no offense in most states,

 

.04 is the limit for operating a vessel, .08 is the limit for driving a car in "most states".

[Ocean Boy]

.07 is no offense in most states,50 in a school zone=reckless driving,NO comparrison whatsoever.The Captain should be punished,getting fired is a raw deal

Rules for driving a car in most states vs. rules of US Coast Gurad and Celebrity Cruise Line for being in command of a ship....

NO comparison whatsoever.

[DC2OC]

Exactly my point,the Captain was not driving

[Ocean Boy]

Correct, he was in command of a cruise liner. Apparently, the coast guard and Celebrity feel a lower alcohol limit is required when in command of a ship than when driving a car.

[ChriSusan]

very seldom do the ships leave late here. I watch them every weekend. Definitely nothing like the Vision OTS delay. Everyone's usually out of here like clockwork ... it's quite a parade some weekend afternoons ... this year we are maxed out all three "weekend days" -- three ships each day Fri/Sat/Sun all summer.

 

We were told that the Diesel barge was late and that is why we left port an hour and a half late. We mostly made up the time, but I believe we ended up missing a stop at the Tracy Arm Fjord that was on the itinerary. It is odd though since none of the future round trips from Seattle have the same itinerary that we did. Maybe they learned a few things from our first cruise out of Seattle.

[rubrrick]

It's always sad to see something like this happen, although in my mind it won't hurt Celebrity or the Mercury. The captain knew that he was breaking both US Coast Guard rules as well as company rules.

 

The fact is that the ship had less than 4 hours to sail, when alcohol was detected on the captains breath. During the period of berthing and unberthing, it is almost always that the captain is in command. During these periods of time, the bridge is under what is known as "condition red", and during that time, at least 4 officers, as well as the quartermaster must be on the bridge. These include the captain, staff captain, first officer and navigator. In Seattle it would also include a pilot. It is the job of the captain to undock the ship, know all targets that could affect the operation, and start the ship underway before turning the power and navigation over to the pilot. Only then, the captain may command that the bridge go to a "condition yellow", and leave the bridge with the staff captain in command.

 

To me, the long and short of it is that the captain knew that he was taking a risk having an alcoholic beverage on a turn around day.

 

Rick

[FinelyCruising]

...and with 4 officers capable, it seems to me like a wide berth of ability to navigate.

On my little boat, I inform all the newcomers on board what's what in case of an accident, and since I am controlled by State Police on the water in conjunction with the USGC, I don't drink a drop, but educate those who are on board what they need to know in the event of an event when I navigate and am incapable.

...so IMHO with 4 completely trained and capable....I would not worry about this incident as an example ...almost becomes a fire drill/non-event.

[Ocean Boy]

IMHO with 4 completely trained and capable....I would not worry about this incident as an example ...almost becomes a fire drill/non-event.

The captain of a ship is relieved of command and somehow that is equivilent to a non-event / fire drill??

[TPKeller]

Some people live in that world. It is hard to believe or understand.

 

Theron