Avast, matey! Bring me more grog and we'll get underway. We'll show these lubbers how a real captain pilots a ship. Mind the parrot, now. That's the first thing that went through my mind when I read this little item:
SEATTLE (Reuters) – A cruise ship captain pleaded guilty Monday to operating a Celebrity Cruise Line vessel — carrying 1,884 passengers — while under the influence of alcohol.
The U.S. Coast Guard arrested Periklis Petridis, a Greek citizen in command of the Mercury cruise liner, on May 19, hours before the ship was scheduled to depart from a Seattle pier for Alaska.
During a routine Coast Guard check, officials discovered the captain had been drinking. Tests found Petridis, 47, with a blood alcohol level as high as 0.181, more than four times the federal maritime limit for operating a ship.
As part of a plea agreement, Petridis received one year's probation, a $15,000 fine and a one-year ban from entering U.S. waters as an employee of any commercial vessel.
The Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (Celebrity's parent company) dismissed the captain. Ya think?
