Captain Fined For Failing to Help Sinking Ship
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
According to a report in The Moscow Times, the captain of a vessel that passed by the sinking Bulgaria cruise ship without stopping to help rescue drowning passengers was fined $4,200, but avoided jail time, Interfax reported.
A district court in Tatarstan ruled that Yury Tuchin failed to provide help to victims of the July disaster on the Volga River, in which 122 people died when the 55-year-old Bulgaria foundered in a storm. Tuchin, skipper of the dry cargo ship, pleaded guilty, but claimed his actions were rooted in the fear that his ship would crush the lifeboats.
The prosecution reportedly sought a jail sentence of 14 months and a ban from working on ships for three years.
(Source: The Moscow Times)