Drugged boatman jailed for deadly Umm as Sabaan collision

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

The man found guilty of sailing under the influence of drugs and causing an accident at sea that claimed the lives of two Bahraini fishermen has been sentenced to seven months in jail. The court also slapped him with a BD1,150 fine.

He could, however, avoid jail by posting a BD100 bail, though his boat and fishing gear will be confiscated for operating with banned ‘karaf’ trawling nets and sailing without a mandatory satellite navigation tracker.

The verdict was issued by the Lower Criminal Court, which found the skipper guilty of manslaughter, reckless boating, and navigating under the influence of pregabalin, a controlled substance. He was sentenced to six months in prison for breaching marine safety laws that led to the deaths, and an additional one month for drug possession.

He was also fined BD1,000 for operating with banned ‘karaf’ trawling nets and sailing without a mandatory satellite navigation tracker. An additional BD50 fine was imposed for failing to provide life jackets, a fire extinguisher, and a first-aid kit on board. The deadly incident occurred in the waters off Umm as Sabaan islet, also known as Al-Muhammadiya, following a collision between two boats. Both Bahraini fishermen on board one of the vessels were killed. Two Asian crew members involved in the crash were each sentenced to 40 days in jail for illegal trawling, followed by deportation. They also received 10-day sentences for overstaying their visas.

The case came to light when Coast Guard officials responded to reports of a boat collision. They found the skipper attempting to tow the damaged vessel to Malkiya beach, with one victim’s body still aboard. The second body was later recovered near Budaiya port.

Investigators faced challenges due to unclear marine reports and outdated tracking data from the cybercrime unit, which failed to show the boats’ movements on the day of the incident. A marine inspector noted that some findings were speculative rather than based on concrete evidence.

compensation

Meanwhile, compensation claims filed by the victims’ families have been referred to the civil court, with no fees charged.