The captain of a 600-foot commercial vessel
pled guilty April 9 after he was nabbed at the Port of Portland commanding the
ship with a blood-alcohol level of 0.18 percent, more than four times the limit
for persons operating vessels on the water.
Valeriy Sharykin, a 62-year-old Russian
citizen, entered his plea April 9 in US District Court in Portland and was
sentenced to two years’ probation by Judge John Acosta.
Sharykin was the licensed Vessel Master on
the Adfines
East, a 602-foot commercial vessel, weighing over 24,000 gross tons and
sailing under the flag of Malta.
He was charged with negligent operation of a
commercial vessel, a class-A misdemeanor, after US Coast Guard officials
conducting an official inspection of the vessel on April 8, 2013, suspected he
was intoxicated based on their observations of his behavior and smell. Coast
Guard law enforcement personnel from Station Portland and Coast Guard
Investigative Service responded, used a Breathalyzer on him and then took him
into custody after determining Sharykin’s blood alcohol content that was more
than four times the legal limit.
“Operating a 24,000-ton, 602 foot ship with a
blood alcohol level more than four times above the (0.4 BAC) limit is beyond
reckless, it’s potentially deadly,” US Attorney Amanda Marshall said. “The
safety of people, property, and the environment on the Columbia River and all
US waterways is a top priority for this office. Those who endanger safety in
commercial shipping and maritime will be found and prosecuted.”
In addition to the probationary term,
Sharykin’s sentence includes a condition that he not sail waters under US
jurisdiction, and that he pay a $1,000 fine to the court and $1,000 to a
community alcohol treatment facility.
