ODESA, AUGUST, 31st, 2009, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE – Deputy Head of Water and River Transport Administration Viktor Sudarev believes there is the captain’s guilt in the situation with Beriks, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

Viktor Sudarev stated it today 31 August during a press-conference.

According to him, the Captain of the vessel made the wrong decision when the ship was getting loaded in the Port of Poti – he couldn’t have failed to understand there was something wrong with the cargo. The captain had an opportunity to contact both the Charterer and the Ship-owner and clarify the situation. In addition, the official said, the Captain made the wrong decision when the vessel was leaving the Port of Mykolaiv after repair – the repair had been done with low-quality, so he had all the reasons not to lead the vessel out of the port’s water area.

Mr. Sudarev also said the Charterer who had not been paying people their wages for five months was violating the regulations provided by the Criminal Code of Ukraine, in particular Article 175. The Prosecutor’s Office is holding this issue under control.

The vessel has now left Ukrainian territorial waters. After the vessel had been repaired the Ship-owner hired another crew and the ship proceeded with her course.

The official informed neither the Ship-owner nor the Charterer had the license to carry cargoes of the kind – this issue is also to be regarded by the law enforcement bodies, besides the Charterer was trying to bring in the goods using fake documents.