The criminal court in French Polynesia has given a suspended one-year jail sentence to the captain of a Philippines-registered cargo vessel which ran onto a reef in June.
Photo: Facebook/ Merchant Marine Updates
The captain has been convicted for failing to communicate an engine failure which within two days saw the laden ship drift onto the reef of Raroia.
The incident only became known when locals saw the stranded 132-metre long ship, Thorco Lineage, which was carrying zinc from the United States to Australia.
After being towed to Papeete for repairs of its hull, a special tug from the United States took the vessel to South Korea.
The shipping company has been been fined a quarter of a million US dollars.
