German captain escorted off vessel after it got stuck

German captain escorted off vessel after it got stuck
Gary Dixon. 28 October 2022

A 33-year-old German captain has been charged with being drunk in control of a container ship that grounded off Denmark.

The 508-teu Ragna (built 1998) got stuck on sand in the early hours of Friday, having just left Fredericia.

Police in Funen received a report about the boxship at 02:10 (01:10 GMT) from the Maritime Assistance Service, which had suspected drunk sailing.

“The sailing pattern from harbour to sandy bottom was apparently so unusual that the Funen police were alerted and called,” said duty police officer Kenneth Taanquist, according to the Fyens Stiftstidende newspaper.

A team went out to the Ragna to investigate.

“It turns out that the captain of the ship was under the influence of spirits. He is arrested and charged with suspicion of drunken sailing, after which he sailed ashore in the company of the officers,” Taanquist told broadcaster TV2.

There was no immediate damage to the ship and no reports of a spill, the officer said.

The vessel has dropped anchor and the engine has stopped.

AIS showed it as “not under command”. The Ragna had been en route to Bremerhaven in Germany.

Clarksons lists the vessel as owned by Jurgen Ohle of Germany and operated by Unifeeder, which has been contacted for comment.

Loading and unloading was overseen by port agent Fredericia Shipping, whose managing director, Klaus G Andersen, told the Fredericia Dagblad: “It is always serious when ships run aground. And of course extra serious if it is about drunken sailing and not just bad seamanship.”

The vessel has protection and indemnity cover from Skuld in Norway.