The Ministry of Transport yesterday failed to reassure the public that a convicted pilot who crashed a fast ferry into the Rockaway dock when he was inebriated, was not currently piloting public transportation boats.

Dwayne Pearman, who was two-and-a-half times over the legal alcohol maritime limit when he crashed the newly christened J.L. Cecil Smith fast ferry on December 21, 2007, was fined $2,000 for the incident in Magistrates' Court earlier this week.

The Department of Public Prosecutions are appealing the decision and believe a custodial sentence is called for.

The Ministry has said that it will now hold an internal disciplinary meeting to address the pilot's conduct and decide whether his licence should be suspended or revoked.

The Premier's Press Secretary, the Permanent Secretary of Transport, and a Department of Communications and Information Transport spokeswoman and Director of Marine and Ports have all failed to say if Pearman has been piloting ferries since the incident or would continue to pilot them until his disciplinary meeting.

In the initial press release following the incident, Director of Marine and Ports Francis Richardson said: "Any developments regarding the suspension or revocation of the pilot's licence will be in accordance with Section 21 (2) of the Marine Board (Island Boats) Regulation 1965.

"It will require the pilot appearing before an Examining Committee who will consider the evidence presented. The committee will then make a recommendation deemed appropriate."

Nothing has been said about the incident since, despite several requests.

The Marine Board regulations state that the Transport Minister "may" suspend the licence of a pilot pending an appearance before the examining committee and may then either revoke the suspension or revoke the licence depending on the committee's findings.

There were 60 people on the fast ferry when Pearman crashed it into Rockaway dock in Southampton after consuming fortified wine while on duty. None of the passengers were injured.

The court heard the assistant pilot took the helm to return to Hamilton, where Pearman was arrested after officers found him spraying himself with air freshener and unsteady on his feet.

When Police searched Pearman's black bag they found a bottle of fortified wine and when they searched the ferry they found six empty bottles of fortified wine in a bin.

One of the empty bottles was found outside the bathroom where Pearman had been freshening up. During the trial, his lawyer said Pearman did not know the 16.5 percent proof fortified wine was alcoholic. He thought it was an energy drink that would give him a "pep", his lawyer said.