How much can you drink at work?

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
The U.S. Coast Guard arrested the captain of the container ship MSC Jubilee IX for suspicion of operating the vessel while intoxicated following a boarding at Terminal 5 in Seattle on August 20, 2025.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound were notified by a Puget Sound Pilot aboard the MSC Jubilee IX, who reported the vessel’s captain was exhibiting signs of intoxication. The pilot and first mate operated the vessel during the transit from an anchorage near Everett, WA to Terminal 5 at the Port of Seattle without incident.

Upon mooring at Terminal 5, the Coast Guard administered a field sobriety and breathalyzer test to the captain, which found that he was impaired more than six times the legal limit for commercial mariners.

Apparently, drinking on the job is allowed by commercial mariners, as federal law permits a blood alcohol concentration up to 0.04%, and he was in charge of a 333-meter ship. But there’s no drinking at Scuttlebutt HQ… we know the “pen is mightier than the sword” and we prefer to make our mistakes while sober. – Full report