JORK in an earlier guise.

Polish captain of sunken vessel charged
Master accused of being drunk whilst on duty

Zbigniew Karkowski, master of the cargo vessel JORK which sank yesterday morning after striking the un-manned gas platform Viking Echo 40 the previous evening, has been arrested and charged with being drunk in charge of the vessel.

The 56 year old captain was the last man aboard the vessel as he attempted to save her but had to be rescued as were the rest of the Polish crew on board.

The 95 metre 3,169 DWT general cargo vessel flying the Antigua & Barbuda flag had been travelling from Lubeck to New Holland East, carrying grain. After striking the gas platform she developed a list and water seeped into her cargo causing it to swell. The swelling strained the hull until it cracked and she sank.

ConocoPhillips say that the damage to the installation is only very slight.

The master, from Scezcin, is due to appear at Skegness Magistrates' Court, the police said.

The JORK, 1922 grt, was built in 1978 and was managed, according to the Equasis website, by Hans-Ewe Meyer Bereederung of Buxtehude, Germany. Previous names were RUNNER and ORTRUD