A Romanian ship’s captain convicted of drink-driving his vessel has been sentenced to 11 months in prison. Adrian Fericel, 45, was arrested and remanded in custody last month after he ran his ship, the Kathrin, aground off the Kent coast and was found to be four times over the limit.

Scunthorpe magistrates found the defendant guilty of failing a breathalyser test whilst in command of a vessel. Judging their sentencing powers to be insufficient, they referred the case to Grimsby Crown Court, who sentenced Mr Fericel to seven months for being drunk in possession of his ship, and four months for grounding it.