Newspapers in Italy are reporting that the local police in Salerno, Italy arrested a 31 year-old Jamaican, man employed as a cook in the galley of the Celebrity cruise ship, the Constellation, for “attempted murder aggravated by petty reasons.”
The cook, identified only as “OG,” attacked a 38 year-old Indian, head chef, with what is described as a “big knife,” according to the L’Unione Sarda newspaper. The cook stabbed the chef in the stomach, seriously injuring him and requiring emergency medical treatment at the the Salerno hospital where the chef was admitted in critical condition.
The newspapers say that the cook started his shift at 5 A.M. and reportedly was already in a state of alcoholic intoxication. The cook apparently took offense to the chef’s instructions.
Pursuant to maritime law, the act of a crew member attacking another crew member with a dangerous weapon renders the ship “unseaworthy” and creates strict liability on behalf of the maritime employer for the attack.
Photo credit: Megadri CC BY-SA 3.0, commons / wikimedia.
June 1 2016 Update: Maritime Executive covers the story and includes a photo of the knife(s) allegedly used in the attack. (Photo credit: Italian Maritime Border Police via Maritime Executive)