Bodden Shipping says pilots arrested in tanker probe

(CNS): Bodden Shipping has confirmed that two of its pilots were recently arrested and detained as part of the investigation into the grounding of the Sea Elephant oil tanker on Cayman Brac last week. While the authorities have been tight-lipped about the criminal investigation, the local shipping line issued a press release refuting a local article suggesting it had ceased its piloting services in protest.

The company officials did not identify the article in question or which media house had published the report, which they said was inaccurate.

They did state that while they were limited in what they could say about the vessel and the circumstances of its visit to Cayman Brac, Bodden Shipping was not at fault in relation to the tanker’s inability to dock in Grand Cayman. The company said it will provide pilot services for the Sea Elephant as soon as berthing is available.

After preliminary repairs were completed on Cayman Brac, the tanker sailed to Grand Cayman for more work and to be inspected. It remains offshore as inquiries and inspections continue and the vessel awaits clearance from the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands to leave. An investigation is currently underway, and the two Bodden Shipping pilots as well as the master of the Sea Elephant were arrested on suspicion of offences under the National Conservation Act.

In its press release, Bodden Shipping said it had been willing from the start to assist the authorities with the investigation. It had reached out to the Department of Environment and other investigating agencies offering to assist with their investigation and to be interviewed about the events on Cayman Brac at a place and time of the DoE’s choosing.

“Those offers were rejected and our pilots were instead met by multiple enforcement officers, arrested and taken to detention centres,” the press release stated. “Notwithstanding this, our pilots continue to perform their professional duties and we remain willing to assist the authorities with their investigations. We look forward to the rapid conclusion of the investigation and the exoneration of our pilots.”

CNS has asked the company to identify the article in question and we are awaiting a response. However, the shipping line also denied accusations that it had “retired” all its Caymanian pilots.

“Our former pilots who retired did so either at their own request or because they were in their 80s and it was no longer appropriate for them to continue this work,” the shipping line said. “The reason Bodden Shipping has not hired new Caymanian pilots is that there are none with the advanced Master Mariner qualifications required to do this work — as such we hired highly experienced professionals from overseas.”

The executives added that pilotage services have not been suspended or terminated and another oil tanker, the GTM Germany, had docked at Jackson Point terminal on Wednesday to deliver fuel.