Captain of OS 35 pleads guilty to three charges relating to collision & subsequent grounding

The Captain of the OS 35 has pleaded guilty to three charges relating to the collision, and subsequent grounding, of the bulk carrier in August last year.

At the Supreme Court, 53 year old Syrian national Abdulbar Kaddoura pleaded guilty to conduct endangering a ship, and failing to comply with legal obligations to prevent collisions at sea.

Three other charges will remain on file: two alleged breaches of shipping regulations, and a charge relating to pollution affecting Gorham's Cave.

His lawyer, Freddie Vasquez, has called for a fine or suspended sentence instead of prison time for Kaddoura, who has been in Gibraltar since the incident.

He highlights that the captain's family was affected by the earthquake that hit Syria earlier this year, saying "his circumstances are dire".

Kaddoura has been will be sentenced on the 12th June.

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