Captain pleads guilty to 'drink-driving' ship at Felixstowe port

Zbigniew Chowaniec captained the MSC Roshney V, which arrived at the Port of Felixstowe on 15 January

The captain of a container ship has admitted to being in charge of his vessel after he had been drinking.

Zbigniew Chowaniec, a Polish national, was arrested on 15 January after his ship arrived at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.

Ipswich Magistrates' Court heard that a breathalyser test found the 65-year-old almost four times over the legal limit.

He pleaded guilty on 16 January, and his case has been sent to the Crown Court for sentencing in February.

Mr Chowaniec was the master of MSC Roshney V, which had travelled from the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium, and was heading to the port of Canakkale, Turkey.

Magistrates were told port officers boarded the 965ft (294m) long ship at about 07:15 GMT and that Mr Chowaniec smelled strongly of alcohol.

He was arrested and taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre, where a breathalyser test produced a reading of 93 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, exceeding the prescribed legal limit.

The legal alcohol limit for seafarers, set by the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Convention, is 25 micrograms in 100ml of breath.

Following the hearing on 16 January, Mr Chowaniec was granted conditional bail and was required to surrender his passport.