Drunken ship's captain faces jail

The cargo ship was due to sail to Cornwall from Southampton Water

A sailor faces jail after pleading guilty to being drunk in charge of a cargo ship.

Captain Volodymyr Dushyn was arrested on the 58m (190ft) Hoo Tern at Dibles Wharf, Southampton, minutes before he was due to sail for Falmouth, Cornwall.

The captain, 49, from the Ukraine, was found to be nearly four times the legal limit for sailing a ship.

He faces up to two years in jail and an unlimited fine when he is sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on 4 August.

Officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) raised the alarm after they boarded the ship to find the captain apparently drunk.

'Tragedy prevented'

When he was breathalysed by marine police he was found to have 136mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit to sail a ship is 35mg, the same as the drink-drive limit.

Captain Dushyn, from the Ukraine, was refused bail at Southampton Magistrates Court after he was unable to provide an address in the UK.

Neil Atkinson, one of the surveyors for the MCA who was on the ship, said: "This is a particularly bad case.

"The vessel was about to sail and the man with command of the ship, which was carrying five other people, was not in any fit state to carry out his duties safely.

"The MCA's prompt intervention has probably prevented a tragedy from happening."