A SHIP’S captain four times over the legal drink-driving limit has been jailed after going aground on the Goodwin Sands and narrowly missing a lightship.

On Friday Adrian Fericel, a Romanian, aged 45, was sentenced after a court heard the case had been the worst alcohol abuse incident at sea ever dealt with by the Maritime and Coastal Agency.

The master of a vessel was found guilty at Grimsby Crown Court after being four times over the legal limit while in charge of a ship. He was involved in incidents on the Goodwin Sands on February 12 and New Holland on the River Humber three days later.

Fericel was sentenced to four months for the grounding of his ship and seven months for the drink offence. The sentences will run concurrently and the Romanian had already been in custody for 35 days.

On February 13 the owners of the Swiss registered vessel Kathrin contacted Dover Coastguard to report that the vessel had grounded on the Goodwin Sands.

Examination of the radar records at Dover showed that the vessel had crossed normally from the north east lane of the Dover Traffic Separation Scheme into the English inshore traffic zone. However, instead of altering course to continue its passage up to the Humber, the Kathrin maintained its course.

Ten minutes after narrowly missing the East Goodwin Light Vessel, the ship ran aground on the Goodwins for 20 minutes before re-floating itself and re-starting its passage north. Dover Coastguard was not contacted at any time during this incident.

The vessel was met at New Holland by a Maritime and Coastguard Agency inspector, who suspected that the master was over the prescribed limit for alcohol.

Humberside Police were called and Fericel failed a breathalyser test and was arrested. A sample showed a level of alcohol in his breath of 140 microgrammes per microlitre of breath, about four times the legal limit.

The Romanian also pleaded guilty to breaches of the alcohol provisions of the Railway and Transport Safety Act 2003 and section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

* The legal alcohol limit at sea is the same as prescribed in the Road Traffic Act: 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.