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.
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Category: Crime, Environment
Cayman have a rich history of seamen and what have our leaders done to preserve this history and ensure there is ample qualified Caymanians to fill these roles? nothing! me or you couldn’t failed this country any worst if we tried.
Our leaders passed and maintained legislation mandating the training of Caymanians in exchange for work permits.
The government legal department and others in the civil service, sometimes with the vehement support of some in the private sector, seem to have operated without that requirement fully and consistently adhered to.
Not sure we can fairly pin this one on our “leaders”.
Interesting.
Why hasn’t Bodden and CIG ensured that young people have been trained over the years?
Yes, Capt. Medina and others can train, but there needs to be sholarships and a local centre for maritime training.
Not just nostalgic seafaring speeches and groups singing Munsey Boat every chance they get!
A real shame to our forebears!
It’s not like Seafarers, and their second and third wife hoochie-mommas, don’t get paid forever…
80 year old marine captains caught you off guard did they? Remind us again of the retirement age in the jurisdiction? Bodden shipping are not only responsible for the actions and inactions of their retained staff, but have likely endangered the public for 15+ years by not having a proper succession model in place. Fine them as well as PTM, hold the tanker until fees paid.
not to be that person, but if any of the companies involved in this have to pay fines, those fines are just passed down to us consumers, meaning we yet again pay for their mistakes. Unfortunately, there is no way around that.
oi Retirement isn’t mandatory awip
Captain Medina is a Caymanian Pilot who is able and willing to continue this work. He is up in age but is as sharp and as able and as knowledgeable as any pilot Boddens Have in their employment. Bodden Shipping, please do the right thing and bring back Capt. Medina.
Do you know how many different ways an 80 year old can get taken out the game? At 80+, sneezing the wrong way can break stuff. This isn’t coaching Little League. Why even play that game with the safety and security duties of being a competent Marine Pilot? The Maritime Authority should have de-risked Bodden Shipping 15+ years ago, as part of their obligations to the public as the overseeing agency.
The “media house” that published the inaccurate article was Cayman Marl Road. There’s a 99.9% chance that if there is an inaccurate article it was published by Cayman Marl Road. She absolutely does not care about being accurate. She cares about being first and/or sensational.
The article was on CMR.
clear as mud.
i smell a classic cayman cover-up.
Immigration (Transition) Act (2022 Revision)
Section 58 (1) The Work Permit Board, the Business Staffing Plan Board, the Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Immigration Board or the Director of WORC in considering an application under section 56 —
(a) shall, in respect of an application for a grant; or
(b) may, in respect of an application for a renewal,
subject to any general directions which the Cabinet may, from time to time, give in respect of the consideration of such application, take into account the matters
listed in subsections (2) to (4).
(2) In relation to the prospective employer, that —
(c) in the case of an application in respect of a professional, managerial or skilled occupation, the Board or the Director of WORC, as the case may be, is satisfied as to the extent to which the prospective employer has established adequate training or scholarship programmes for Caymanians.
So what scholarship and training programmes have been operated to seek to ensure that future generations of Caymanians can become pilots?
Good idea. They should have refused the permits. That would have left us in a great position. Maybe the government should think about paying to train or employ people to operate its ports safely?
Maybe we should just follow our laws that require the private sector, if it is relying on work permits, to contribute to the training of local persons. It is a core element of our legal systems. It is fair. It works. And it keeps government expenditure (and taxes) much lower than they would otherwise be.
Permits would still get granted if needed. The expectation is that employers do their part. Employers should not however get permits of they are not doing their part.
None is needed, He hath founded it upon the Seas.
So why did he let this ship flounder on our shores?
That experience can not be gained here. It takes years to become a Ship’s Master.
Maples trains lawyers
HSA trains doctors
Cayman Airways trains airline pilots
…are you detecting a pattern?
Classic Caymanian response. How about you invest in yourself rather than waiting for a handout? Generations of hardworking seafarers are rolling in their graves because this generation just wants to be handed everything and not put in the time or money to achieve something.
Noone wants to be handed anything, other than the opportunity that the law of this country demands be afforded in return for getting work permits.
Socialist argument for having private companies pay out of their own pocket to do what the government and the people are too lazy to do.
No. The Law of the Cayman Islands. Since 1972. Fair and appropriate as an alternative to capital gains and income taxes. And revolution.
Were the pilots Cayman Brac mariners who would be familiar with the area?
Back to the top of the article to start again. Call a grown-up if you need help with the big words.
Read the article – no, because the only qualified locals were in their 80s.
Missing the point, these pilots have no local knowledge.
Jamaicans
Or, 6:31, were they Filipinos or maybe Indians or even English or Canadian? We got to find someone to blame. Never Caymanians.