Index – National – Viking Captain: I could not avoid the accident

Our article will be updated with expert audiences.

He was unable to prevent the passenger ship Mermaid from sinking, according to the captain of the Viking Sygin, at least after his first public statement after the accident, which may have died at the first hearing of the case this morning.

At the Central District Pest Court, the press testified to Yuri C., the captain of the ship that sank the Mermaid, about the May 29, 2019, June accident. From this, we get to know the captain’s version of how the accident happened. The captain, in his sixties, declined to comment in detail immediately after the accident, stating only that he did not feel guilty for the misfortune. However, on June 7 he had already testified. The details of this were also expressed in today’s hearing.

Details about the captain

We learn from the defendant that he had obtained his title of sea captain in Ukraine some 30 years ago, driving ships since 1975, so he had dealt with ships larger than the Viking Sygin. It also qualified as a radio ship. These qualifications are periodically renewed. Find out about the route he traveled at the time of the accident, as he travels the Budapest-Nuremberg section thirty times a year. He stated that he had good eyesight and hearing, did not make phone calls at the time of the incident, did not drink and was not under the influence of a mind-altering agent, and was with the government at all times. Even if you are taking heart medications, they do not affect your driving.

He also spoke of the ship separately. She worked for the company, which also includes Viking Sygin, for 19 years. However, he joined Viking Sygin in March 2019 as a captain. He drove the ship daily for four weeks after taking over, then rested for two weeks. Therefore, the boat is well known and is subject to technical inspections every time it is changed. When she took over the ship on May 14, after two weeks off, she found everything on it. However, the roadworthiness test must be repeated if new passengers embark. This happened on May 28, because new passengers arrived on board in Budapest.

It was dark, it was raining

The captain also made a detailed statement on the night of the accident. The ship was brought from Nuremberg by her colleague to Budapest, with whom she departed for Nuremberg on the 29th. She waited on the Chain Bridge, leaving at 8:50 pm with 184 passengers and 45 crew on board.

They were heading against the current. It was a high water level, so Yuri C. let the 8.5 meter high main rudder stay two feet lower to go under Margaret Bridge.

Know in detail the location of the accident: between the two pillars of the Margaret Bridge, where it passed, the distance is 45-50 meters. The ship left the Academy, 18 minutes to the bridge, which took a mile and a half. In parliament, she reduced the speed to 2-4 km / h so that passengers could admire the illuminated farmhouse. Approaching the bridge she accelerated at a speed of 10-15 km / h. There was traffic on the left bank at the scene of the accident, circulating through the middle of the navigable section, with the aim of passing the lighting in the middle of the bridge.

Saw many small boats

The captain also said that he noticed there were many small boats around the Viking Sygin, but could not say exactly how many because they were generally not counted. He noticed the Siren when they were 200 meters from the bridge. I could see that he was moving faster and forward, but he couldn’t tell his speed. The little boat was level with the Viking’s main rudder and was 5-6 meters tall, approaching the Viking at a dangerous distance. However, this did not matter to him after a while as he concentrated on moving the 135-meter Viking under the bridge.

In his statement, Yuri C. drew attention to the fact that he had no longer seen the Siren on radar when he was dangerously close (at said distance of 5-6 meters) because he was already too close to detection. And no one on the radio informed him that the little boat would catch up with him.

The captain emphasized that a ship as large as the Viking would not feel the stumble with such a small ship.

The passengers told him there was a collision.

Yuri C. said he learned from tourists that a collision had occurred, as well as from them that it had occurred somewhere on the starboard side of the ship’s bow. He also learned from the passengers that the Siren had crashed in front of them. The captain said his passengers were not injured, the collision did not involve serious blows to the Viking. The sailors saw people fall into the water, lowered the lifeboats and began the rescue. Meanwhile, the captain reported an accident, colliding with a passenger vehicle. Yuri C. also reflected on why he was moving forward after the collision. He justified this by saying that it was not safe to stop and stop the engine under the bridge.

He said:

he was responsible for the accident because he could do nothing to avoid the misfortune.

He acted correctly, but that doesn’t console him because people died. The small boat could have overtaken him, but could not have made it in front of him. However, there is no exact rule about how close ships can be to each other. However, the 5-6 meters are not safe, he added.

After reading the statement and clarifying the captain of the Viking, the trial currently continues with a hearing of experts.

(Cover image: Judge at today’s hearing. Photo: Isza Ferenc / Index)