Australian authorities have backed Farstad Shipping in the firing of a veteran master of an anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessel, who turned up for work with impermissible blood alcohol levels after drinking 10 beers the day before he was to join a ship.
But Captain Jurgen Rust, 62, says his dismissal stems from a long struggle with the offshore vessel owner, which has merged into SolstadFarstad, ultimately caused by chronically ungovernable "integrated ratings" (IRs) in the Australian offshore fleet.
