US EditionIs There an Acceptable Blood-Alcohol Limit for Pilots?
The captain's blood alcohol content was over six times the commercial mariner limit, prompting Coast Guard arrest and safe ship operation by pilot and first mate.
- On Aug. 20, the U.S. Coast Guard arrested the captain of the MSC Jubilee IX, a 333-meter Liberian-flag containership, at Terminal 5, Port of Seattle on suspicion of intoxicated operation.
- A Puget Sound pilot aboard the MSC Jubilee IX reported the captain's suspected intoxication on Aug. 20 and, with the first mate, navigated from an anchorage near Everett, Washington to Terminal 5, Port of Seattle without incident.
- CGIS agents boarded and administered field sobriety and breathalyzer tests showing impairment over six times the limit, then arrested and transported the captain to King County Jail, referring charges to the King County Prosecutor.
- After a relief captain was assigned, the MSC Jubilee IX was cleared to resume operations and departed Seattle on August 22, 2025, for Prince Rupert, Canada, while the Coast Guard's investigation continues.
- Paul Shultz, Special Agent in Charge, CGIS Northwest Field Office, said the pilot's immediate intervention mitigated significant risks as federal law deems vessel operators impaired at a.04% blood-alcohol concentration.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Is there an acceptable blood-alcohol limit for pilots?
(NEXSTAR) – A pilot flying for Southwest Airlines was terminated after failing a field sobriety test only moments before he was scheduled to take off from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport earlier this year. Footage of the incident, released by airport officials last week, shows the pilot being given a field sobriety test on the jetway. The video shows him being taken into custody by airport police after an officer told the pilot he…
Captain of huge container ship in Seattle arrested for boating under the influence
The Coast Guard this week arrested the captain of a massive container ship for allegedly operating the huge vessel in Elliott Bay while intoxicated. Members of the Coast Guard’s Investigative Service boarded the MSC Jubilee IX Wednesday after a crew member on the ship reported the captain appeared drunk. The captain and a first mate had just sailed the big container ship from Everett to Seattle’s Terminal Five. The vessel is the length of more t…
NBC Dallas-Fort Worth
NBC NewsCaptain arrested on suspicion of operating container ship drunk
A container ship captain has been arrested, accused of operating the vessel while drunk with a blood alcohol content level six times the limit for mariners. The captain of the MSC Jubilee IX — a 333-meter container ship operating under the Liberian flag — was arrested Wednesday in Seattle, the Coast Guard said in a news release Saturday. The captain’s name was not disclosed. A Puget Sound pilot aboard the ship had reported to the Coast Guard wat…
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