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Coast Guard: Captain arrested for intoxication, Port of Seattle

An American President Lines container ship at the Port of Seattle in Washington on April 16. (David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

(NewsNation) — The captain of a shipping container was arrested in Seattle on Wednesday for allegedly operating the vessel while intoxicated.

On August 20, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound said they were notified by a Puget Sound Pilot onboard the MSC Jubilee IX that the captain was exhibiting signs of intoxication. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the vessel was coming from an anchorage near Everett, Washington and made it to Terminal 5 in the Port of Seattle without incident.


Agents with the Coast Guard Investigative Service administered a field sobriety and breathalyzer test to the captain upon arriving and found he had a blood alcohol content over six times the legal limit for commercial mariners. The captain was arrested and transported to the King County Jail, where charges were referred to the prosecutor for boating under the influence.

The MSC Jubilee IX is a 333-meter container ship operating under the Liberian flag. The vessel has resumed operations following a brief detainment by the U.S. Coast Guard until relief captain was found.