Russian Captain fined in US for violating BAC limit

                         On a routine examination of the vessel flying the flag of Malta by the Coast Guard Port State Control examiners from Marine Safety Unit Portland, they found the Russian captain of the freighter Valeriy Sharikyn, 62, found him under the influence of alcohol, four times the legal limit. His violation was confirmed by the breathalyzer test. The incident took place on April 8, 2013.
                            

      
            The captain pleaded guilty to operating the commercial vessel under the influence of alcohol, class A Misdemeanor while in the Port of Portland. He has been sentenced in Oregon to pay a $1,000 fine for operating his ship with BAC four times more than the legal limit.

            According to the court documents, Sharikyn was a licensed Vessel Master on the Adfines East. The vessel is a 602-foot commercial vessel and it weighs over 24,000 gross tons.
The US Attorney General Amanda Marshall called the captain’s act as ‘reckless’ and ‘potentially deadly’ and also thanked the Coast Guard for their prompt action. Captain Bruce Jones, Sector Columbia River Commander, said: “The Columbia River is a vital transportation mode, source of economic prosperity for the entire Pacific Northwest and an environmental treasure which the Coast Guard is committed to protecting”.

            He also commended the young “but very competent and dedicated Petty Officers for their diligence and thoroughness in the examination of Adfines East which led to today’s arrest”.


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