Captain arrested on suspicion of being drunk aboard cruise ship

The captain of a 1,816-passenger cruise ship destined for Alaska was arrested at Pier 66 in Seattle today after the Coast Guard determined his blood-alcohol content was more than twice the federal maritime limit, officials said.

Coast Guard Capt. Steve Metruck said it's the first time in 24 years a cruise-ship captain has been arrested in the Puget Sound region on suspicion of such an offense.

The man, who was preparing the ship to leave, was arrested, fired by Celebrity Cruises and immediately replaced by another captain before the ship Mercury set sail, Metruck said. The events caused the Mercury to leave port 90 minutes late, at 6:30 p.m.

"The captain's actions are totally unacceptable. He has been stripped of his command and ordered off the ship," Dan Hanrahan, president of Celebrity Cruises, said in a release. A Coast-Guard inspector was aboard the Mercury shortly before 2:30 p.m. to follow up on a previous safety violation involving a life boat lift, Metruck said. The inspector smelled alcohol on the captain's breath and notified staff at Coast Guard headquarters, he said.

The Coast Guard didn't identify the captain but said he has no previous alcohol-related citations.

Four Coast Guard investigators armed with a portable Breathalyzer were dispatched to the ship. The captain didn't admit to drinking, but his breath registered at more than twice the federal maritime limit of .04 percent, Metruck said. The legal limit for drivers in Washington state, by comparison, is 08 percent.

"He was in violation of the regulations for the cruise ship," Metruck said "The cruise ship has limits of drinking within eight hours of a watch." The man was arrested on suspicion of operating a commercial vessel under the influence of alcohol, a misdemeanor that could bring up to a year in jail. He has an initial court appearance in U.S. District Court on Monday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"This is very serious," Metruck said. "The issue we're talking about here not only endangers the vessel … but all of Puget Sound."

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com