Ukrainian captain in Australia faces jail and a huge fine

The Ukrainian captain of the container ship Maersk Surabaya was arrested by the Australian Federal Police. According to upfront information, he damaged an underwater telecommunication cable, the damage is $1.5 million.

The cable is in service of the local telecommunications company Vocus. It stretches 4,600 kilometers between Perth and Singapore, with connections to Christmas Island and Indonesia.

It is reported that the vessel allegedly snagged a cable at a depth of 20 meters with an anchor.

The captain now faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $40,000 fine.

“Even if it was later proved that Maersk Surabaya damaged the cable, it was not worth arresting the captain. Anyhow, Maersk will pay a fine or compensation for damage. Why arrest a seafarer? Is he dangerous to society?” – writes the Maritime Bulletin.

Container ship Maersk Surabaya (flag – Liberia) has a deadweight of 108,351 tons, a capacity of 8402 TEU, built in 2006.