Captain Horats Veilson was extradited to Zamastan from the Shuell capital of Central on Friday afternoon and charged in a Tofino court on 21 counts of manslaughter and intoxication while operating a registered commercial vessel. The captain of the ZRCS Bonello was on the bridge when the ship collided with a Shuellian Cargo Frigate on Thursday, killing 21 people.
He was accused of taking the liner too close to the shore, and crossed into waters which intersected the international shipping. He then abandoned ship with passengers and crew still on board. He was among the people rescued by the Laeralian cargo vessel that assisted in the recovery efforts. Among his arrival to shore, he was arrested by Shuellian authorities.
Veilson denied the charges and said he was being made a scapegoat.
His lawyers had argued that it was a collective failure of the ship's crew and others should share the blame for the disaster, specifically the crew and captain of the Shuellian ship. However, a preliminary investigation has found that the Shuellian vessel never strayed off course, and that the Bonello had sent an electronic signal indicating the sudden deviation in its course.
Veilson was not present when the judge read out the charges at the court in Tofino.
The 54-year-old captain is expected to appeal against the charges.
17 were killed aboard the liner, while 4 were killed on the Shuellian cargo ship.