Belgian Police Remove River Cruise Captain Over Alcohol Limit
The joint checkpoint inspected ten inland vessels, and three commercial ships were written up because not all required permits were in order.
Belgian river police removed the captain of a Swiss-owned river cruise ship after a breath test showed he was above the legal alcohol limit during a joint Belgian-Dutch checkpoint near the Albert Canal. The vessel was carrying 106 passengers from Antwerp to Maastricht, and another officer on board took command so the sailing could continue.
The checkpoint covered 10 inland vessels: nine commercial ships and one river cruise ship. It combined crew sobriety testing with checks on operating documents, waste handling and water-management compliance.
Captain’s license suspended after breath test
The Belgian Federal Police put the applicable alcohol limit for river and sea captains at 0.5 per mille, the same standard it cited for motorists. “This man had drunk a little too much,” the agency said after the captain tested over the threshold.
Police breathalyzed all active crew members. The captain’s license was suspended immediately, and police said he is likely to face a fine from Flemish waterway authorities.
Authorities did not name the captain, the vessel or the operator. The river cruise ship was identified publicly only as Swiss-owned and operating between Antwerp and Maastricht, and the exact timing of the checkpoint was not disclosed.
Permit checks covered commercial vessels as well
Three of the nine commercial ships inspected were written up because not all required permits were in order. The broader operation was led by the Antwerp Maritime Police with De Vlaamse Waterweg, which manages Flanders’ inland waterways, and OVAM, Flanders’ public waste agency.
The checkpoint was established near the Albert Canal, a roughly 130-kilometer inland artery connecting Antwerp with Liège and linking the Scheldt and Meuse river systems. The canal carries around 40 million tons of goods annually.
No injuries or collisions were reported in connection with the stop.
