Captain of OS 35 given suspended sentence for collision and faces pollution charges.

Captain Abdelabari Kaddura, the Syrian national who was the captain of the bulker OS 35, has been given a suspended sentence by a court in Gibraltar. The captain was charged in September 2022 after the OS 35 collided with an anchored gas carrier and sank causing significant oil spills and environmental damage. Kaddura, who was responsible for the collision, will also face pollution charges later this week and the lifting of the hulk of his vessel that suffered weather-related delays is also currently underway.

Although none of the crew was seriously hurt in the incident, the vessel was deemed a total loss, and there was a massive oil spill that was washed onto beaches and other protected areas. While the prosecutors confirmed that the master of OS 35 was not reckless but negligent, the defense argued that the captain failed to read the wind and tides as he was exiting the anchorage and called the events a “professional musculation”.

The court sentenced Kaddura to four months for the charges of risking a collision, conduct endangering the ship, and failing to take appropriate action to avoid a collision. However, the sentence has been suspended for a year, meaning that Kaddura will avoid jail time as long as he commits no further offenses during this period. However, the Magistrates’ Court will address additional pollution charges against Kaddura on Thursday, including damaging a European Protected Species breeding ground and an antiquities site, Gorham’s Cave.

The operation to lift the stern section of the vessel began on June 10, having been delayed due to high winds and surf. The Captain of the Port stated that the salvage team successfully freed the stern from the sand, and the process of reversing the flooding process and restoring buoyancy has begun. The stern is the first section that will be refloated and lifted onto a semi-submersible barge, and the forward section will have to be lifted by cranes from the seabed due to the significant damage it suffered. The complexities of the overall operation have led to uncertainty over how long the process will take, with estimates ranging from 5 to 20 days.

Source .