Indian-origin sailor fined in New Zealand

Wellington, March 23 (IANS) New Zealand authorities fined an Indian-origin sailor on Monday for surpassing the permitted alcohol limit while he was operating a 37,000 tonne fertiliser carrier.

Parmod Kumar, 36, pleaded guilty at the Tauranga District Court to a charge of operating a ship with almost five times the permitted alcohol limit, The New Zealand Herald reported.

He was fined NZ$3,000 (about $2,200).

On March 22, Kumar was breath tested by police while the ship was docked at the Port of Tauranga. He was found to have an alcohol reading of 1,229 mg of alcohol per litre of breath.

The permitted limit is 250 mg.