Ergún nos pasa nota de dos incidentes burocráticos en Novorossiysk, que últimamente se está convirtiendo en un nido de problemas, el primero de ellos tiene relación con el famoso cartoncito de tabaco.
The first incident happened when m/t Petrozavodsk was being cleared inwards at berth 2 of Sheskharis oil terminal 18/03/2006. Master was asked for and duly offered cigarettes as presents to local customs officers attending the vessel. When officials left the vessel they were detained and arrested by representatives of another law-enforcement government agency for accepting
bribes while on duty. Criminal charges were also brought against the master as under Russian law he was treated as a person offering a bribe to officers on official duty. The vessel was detained for investigation and was later released only through involvement of high-ranking Russian officials because the vessel is managed by Sovkomflot/Unicom.In this respect we recommend that owners instruct masters not to offer any presents (cigarettes, spirits, etc) to clearance teams and other officials boarding ships, because this may lead to very dire consequences.
En España, la aparición de las Capitanías Marítimas corto esta práctica casi de raíz en uno de los estamentos involucrados con la visita a puerto, aun quedan otros, chapados a la antigua, que todavía salen con su cartoncito o botellita debajo de la chaqueta.
Lo más vergonzante, es que algunos antes han sido marinos y de aquello que seguramente se quejaron, ahora hacen de la capa un sayo y al estar al otro lado de la barrera lo ven normal. Esta especie de “cartonlari” extinguir tienen mal remedio, porque su nivel de vida no es malo y más bien es un vicio que una necesidad. Los otros “cartonlaris” suelen ser pobres diablos, desertores del arado, que miran al barco como complemento de sus escasos ingresos, a medida que bajen las hipotecas y suban sus sueldos esta rara practica también se terminara.
El segundo es un incidente de papeles que acabo con el barco detenido tres días y el viejo camino del juzgado.
The second case involves m/t Iran Susangird presently detained in Novorossiysk after loading at Sheskharis terminal berth 1. Criminal charges were brought against the master for having failed to declare de-scaling liquid containing 20 pcnt hydro-chloric acid. And although by Russian law failure to declare such substance is not a criminal offence and is subject only to administrative sanctions (fines or penalties), local prosecution service decided to open a criminal case for allegedly smuggling highly toxic and dangerous chemical into Russian Federation. As a result the vessel was detained for more than 3 days and her master was taken ashore to await prosecution and court hearing.
And even though substances subject to mandatory declaration are determined by international conventions, we strongly recommend that masters should declare absolutely everything down to the most innocent chemical or medicine present on board due to the fact that anything remotely associated with production of drugs or toxic chemicals may be regarded by Russian authorities as ample reason to prosecute.
And finally we would like to recommend that Novorossiysk in general be regarded as a very unstable port at present in terms of official treatment of vessels, crew and shipowners` interests. Masters must be alert at all times to the possibility of authorities boarding ships with a broad purpose of finding anything to incriminate a vessel and her crew.
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