At a hearing at Aberdeen Sheriff’s court, the Master of a general cargo ship pleaded guilty to a Merchant Shipping offence following an incident while transiting the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme. Captain Andriy Naumenko, the Ukranian Master of the 10,100 tonne, Maltese registered vessel, SAFMARINE BATA, pleaded guilty to a breach of Rule 10(c) of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972, for which he was fined £2,000. This prosecution follows an investigation by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency into the circumstances surrounding an incident involving the SAFMARINE BATA on the 12th April 2005 as it crossed the Southwest lane of the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme whilst en route from Portugal to Aberdeen in the UK.