Charleston, South Carolina – The senior engineer of a cargo ship that lost control of its engines in June, forcing the Ravenel Bridge to be temporarily closed, has accepted a plea offer.
On Thursday, Fernando San Juan pleaded guilty to charges of failing to disclose a hazardous condition and obstructing an agency procedure, court documents show.
According to court records, San Juan knew and willfully failed to disclose and caused the failure to quickly report that the ship’s main engine governor linkage needed to be manually modified in order for the main engine to reach the required speed.
The second claim stems from charges that San Juan “corruptly attempted to influence, obstruct, or impede the due and proper administration of law” during a proceeding before the National Transportation Safety Board and the United States Coast Guard.
The first charge carries a maximum penalty of six years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. The second carries a maximum five-year prison sentence and the same potential fine.
According to the US Coast Guard, the crew of the MSC Michigan VII lost control of the engines. At 12:17 p.m., the Charleston Harbor Pilots dispatch reported the issue to the Coast Guard Sector Charleston Command Center, according to Deputy Cmdr. Randy Preston.
Preston stated that the vessel was locked at about full power, cruising at 14 to 17 knots when it left North Charleston for Savannah.
Authorities closed the Ravenel Bridge for safety reasons.
The container ship’s crew finally regained control of its engines, and it cleared the harbor without incident, according to Coast Guard officials.
Two boaters aboard a different vessel were hurt when the cargo ship’s wake forced their boat into rocks. The boaters were picked up by EMS and sent to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
