Liner officer’s jail term ‘suspended’

Press, 1 September 1986, Page 1

Liner officer’s jail term ‘suspended’

NZPA-Reuter Moscow

The sentence imposed on the chief navigator of the Soviet cruise liner which sank off New Zealand in February was a suspended four-year prison term, the Soviet government newspaper, “Izvestia,” reported on Saturday. Reporting on the trial of crew members of the Mikhail Lermontov, “Izvestia” said the navigator, Sergey Stepanischev, had failed to cancel an “incomprehensible” order by the local pilot, Captain Don Jamison, to take the liner through dangerous straits.

It said Stepanischev had been sentenced to manda-

tory enlistment for work during the time of his suspended sentence and would have to pay 20,000 roubles ($59,450) from his salary to the Baltic Sea Shipping Company, the shipowners. Captain Vladislav Vorobyov was dismissed and transferred to shore duties, the newspaper said. The head of information at the Soviet Embassy in Wellington, Mr Sergei Buranov, said last evening that he could not confirm Mr Stepanischev’s sentence had been suspended.

The accident had cost the Soviet Union 15.3 million roubles ($45.51 million) in losses includ-

ing the cost of the liner and repatriation of its Soviet crew. There were no 1 plans to salvage the Mikhail Lermontov, "Izvestia” said.

The 20,352-ton liner sank in the Marlborough Sounds on February 16 after hitting rocks. All 409 passengers and all but bne of the Soviet crew of 329 were taken off during a night rescue in poor weather. Captain Jamison was blamed for th'e accident in an official inquiry into the sinking conducted by authorities in Wellington, but the police said he would not be prosecuted because of the cost involved, and difficulty of amassing evidence.