A P Møller-Mærsk, owner of the British-flagged container ship Maersk Patras, has pleaded guilty to eight charges of failing to provide adequate hours of rest for the crew and one charge of failing to improve the situation. A P Møller-Mærsk was fined GBP 18,500 (EUR 21,000) plus costs of GBP 4,400 (EUR 5,000) by the Newcastle Magistrates Court.
“In September 2009, the MCA conducted an audit on board the Maersk Patras at Bremerhaven. It was noticed that the captain, officers and other crew members had not been having the required periods of rest as laid down by international agreements ... The company, A P Møller-Mærsk A/S of Denmark, were informed of these concerns but failed to correct matters and the breaches of the regulations continued. On January 25 2010, the MCA issued the company with an Improvement Notice which required them to rectify the position by February 28 2010. They also failed to comply with that notice”, the British Maritime and Coast Guard Agency (MCA) states.