5 Aug 2017

Ship captain blows 'exceptionally high' breathalyser reading

2:51 pm on 5 August 2017

A captain has appeared in court charged with docking a 40,000 tonne container ship in the Whangarei Harbour while being too drunk.

Police said the 53-year-old from Devon, England, blew an "exceptionally high" breathalyzer reading as he was docking the ship Shansi at Marsden Point.

He appeared in the Whangarei District Court this morning and was remanded on bail.

He is scheduled to appear again in court on Monday.

The alcohol limit for a 'seafarer' is 250 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath and carries a 12 month term of imprisonment or a $10,000 fine.