This is just an example of the captain needs to retire.
Back in his younger years he would have responded to this call instantly but, reading through his testimony, it sounds like lots of excuses and I’m not really sure why.
As someone who worked in law enforcement he should know every minute changes the chance at saving someone’s life.
ThoughtsandThinkers on
Such an odd case. It definitely sounds like the captain did the opposite of taking initiative and responsibility: 1) saying he didn’t hear the distress call on the radio when others in his crew did, 2) slowly getting confirmation from others that he should act, and then 3) blaming everything and everyone else for his inaction. I’m glad for the outcome. It doesn’t sound like he should be in that position of responsibility ever again
I wonder if anyone knows if his ship was eventually able to render assistance. How did those in distress eventually get rescued? Was there evidence for or against the captain’s assertion that his own boat was ill-equipped to provide assistance? Whatever the case, it doesn’t sound to me that that was the right way to handle the situation. The captain should take responsibility for the readiness of their crew, actively communicate, and do what they can
I wonder about the rest of the career of the captain and service. Has he always shirked responsibility? If so, how has he remained in this position for so long? Is this a story of someone staying in their role too long? He was 70+ when the incident happened. Many seniors understandably become more frail and conservative in their actions as they age. Are policies in the coast guard clear? Why did he think he needed to be dispatched to the scene?
iamalext on
After reading his side of things, I think that the Coast Guard absolutely made the right decision.
lcdr_hairyass on
CCG was right, guy was wrong.
adaminc on
Will he be hit with the $1M fine that all other mariners get fined if they ignore a maritime distress call?
It’s illegal in Canadian law for any maritime vessel to ignore a maritime distress call, part of the Canada Shipping Act, which codified parts of UNCLOS and SOLAS, in Canadian law. The fine was changed in 2007 from $500 to $1M.
5 Comments
This is just an example of the captain needs to retire.
Back in his younger years he would have responded to this call instantly but, reading through his testimony, it sounds like lots of excuses and I’m not really sure why.
As someone who worked in law enforcement he should know every minute changes the chance at saving someone’s life.
Such an odd case. It definitely sounds like the captain did the opposite of taking initiative and responsibility: 1) saying he didn’t hear the distress call on the radio when others in his crew did, 2) slowly getting confirmation from others that he should act, and then 3) blaming everything and everyone else for his inaction. I’m glad for the outcome. It doesn’t sound like he should be in that position of responsibility ever again
I wonder if anyone knows if his ship was eventually able to render assistance. How did those in distress eventually get rescued? Was there evidence for or against the captain’s assertion that his own boat was ill-equipped to provide assistance? Whatever the case, it doesn’t sound to me that that was the right way to handle the situation. The captain should take responsibility for the readiness of their crew, actively communicate, and do what they can
I wonder about the rest of the career of the captain and service. Has he always shirked responsibility? If so, how has he remained in this position for so long? Is this a story of someone staying in their role too long? He was 70+ when the incident happened. Many seniors understandably become more frail and conservative in their actions as they age. Are policies in the coast guard clear? Why did he think he needed to be dispatched to the scene?
After reading his side of things, I think that the Coast Guard absolutely made the right decision.
CCG was right, guy was wrong.
Will he be hit with the $1M fine that all other mariners get fined if they ignore a maritime distress call?
It’s illegal in Canadian law for any maritime vessel to ignore a maritime distress call, part of the Canada Shipping Act, which codified parts of UNCLOS and SOLAS, in Canadian law. The fine was changed in 2007 from $500 to $1M.