Local News in Brief : Ship’s Captain Was Drunk, Tests Show

The captain of the cargo ship ordered to relinquish command in Long Beach Harbor early Saturday after the first mate reported him drunk and steering erratically was found to be legally too drunk to captain a ship, according to urine- and blood-alcohol tests released Tuesday by the Coast Guard.

Tests taken 5 1/2 hours after Alan Jones, 58, gave up command showed that he had a blood-alcohol level of .07% and a urine-alcohol level of .09%, officials said.

The Coast Guard recognizes .04% as the maximum acceptable level for operators of commercial vessels. In California, automobile drivers are considered legally drunk at a blood alcohol level of .10%.

The Coast Guard sped out to the ship after it left Long Beach Harbor early Saturday, boarded it and ordered Jones, who was steering the ship himself, to give up command. Coast Guard officials said it was most unusual for a captain of a ship this size to actually have his hands on the wheel.

Five crew members, including three officers, reportedly told the Coast Guard that the captain was drunk.

Jones faces possible charges of operating a ship negligently and the nautical equivalent of drunk driving. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine and a one-year prison sentence.