Police arrested captain & crew of Zim ship that collided with Japanese boat

"Zim Asia", Zim Integrated Shipping Services' container vessel which is suspected of sinking a Japanese fishing boat five weeks ago, in which seven Japanese fishermen drowned, docked at Haifa Port Sunday morning last week.
 
After docking, the Israel Police held for questioning the ship's captain Moshe Ben-David, first mate, and the lookout on duty when the ship collided. The Associated Press reported later that the captain was released on bail and placed under house arrest , while the ship's second captain Pilastro Zdravko and its lookout man Lache Galin are currently being detained by police.
 
The Police also raided on Sunday morning the home of Zim Asia captain Moshe Ben-David and Zim's Haifa HQ, as part of the investigation. The investigation is conducted by the chief of the National Fraud Unit, police Brigadier General, Miri Golan, who personally questioned Zim Asia's crewmembers on board the ship for possible negligence in the maritime accident.
 
According to the police the second captain and the lookout have been accused of not taking necessary measures to prevent the collision even though an alarm system warning of an impending crash with another vessel went off on the Zim Asia.
 
The police also said that Second captain Zdravko and lookout, Mr Galin, were monitoring the alarm system on behalf of the captain who was asleep in the predawn hours of September 28 when the Zim Asia collided with the 19-ton Shinsei Maru No. 3 in the Pacific Ocean 40 kilometres off the cape of Nosappu, northern Japan. Last Wednesday the Police National Fraud Unit summoned Zim Integrated Shipping Services' chairman Idan Ofer for questioning.
 
It was also reported that the police National Fraud Unit had questioned Zim CEO Doron Goder a day after the accident. Goder, according to the police, admitted that Zim Asia’s warning system had been working before the collision.
 
The investigation team appointed by the transport minister already submitted some of its findings to the Haifa District prosecution, which ordered a criminal investigation into the maritime collision Zim is awaiting the results of the inquest before reaching a settlement with the Japanese government on the compensation of families of the drowned fishermen.