According to a recent report by Newsweek, a $10,000 warrant has been issued for the arrest of Oleg Danilin, the captain of the container ship MSC Jubilee IX, for failing to appear at a pre-trial hearing in Washington State.
The King County District Court issued the warrant on August 27 local time, as neither Danilin nor his defense attorney appeared in court.
The incident revolves around the 48-year-old Ukrainian captain Danilin, who was arrested in Seattle on August 20 on suspicion of operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol. A Puget Sound pilot noticed signs of intoxication while guiding the ship from the Everett anchorage to Terminal 5, leading to formal charges against Danilin.
Court documents indicate that at this critical moment, the chief mate and the pilot successfully took control of the container ship without further issues. The MSC Jubilee IX remained docked until Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) appointed a new captain.
The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound was notified by the pilot of the captain’s potential intoxication. A boarding team conducted an on-site alcohol test; however, they halted the test due to Danilin’s poor performance and safety concerns.
A subsequent breath test revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.24%, far exceeding the legal limit for merchant mariners, with two additional tests conducted by the Washington State Patrol showing results of 0.25%.
When questioned about his condition, Danilin claimed he had not consumed alcohol for two months and attributed the odor noticed by the pilot to mouthwash he had used earlier. Despite this defense, he was issued a $1,000 civil penalty by the Coast Guard.
On August 25, Danilin pleaded not guilty to the charges during his court appearance and requested translation assistance. The judge ordered him not to leave Washington State, prohibited alcohol consumption, and required him to surrender his passport to the U.S. Coast Guard.
However, after failing to appear at the scheduled pre-trial hearing on August 27, authorities issued a $10,000 warrant for his arrest.
The Mediterranean Shipping Company container ship MSC Jubilee IX has a deadweight tonnage of 108,770 tons, a capacity of up to 8,800 TEUs, a length of over 1,000 feet, a beam of approximately 134 feet, and is registered in Liberia.
Following the incident in Seattle on August 22, MarineTraffic data showed the vessel near Prince Rupert, Canada, later that week.
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