December 21: Pilot Dwayne Pearman crashes the J.L. Cecil Smith fast ferry — carrying 60 passengers — into a dock while drunk.

January 7: Pearman appears in court and admits being more than twice over the legal alcohol limit at the time.

January 15: Pearman is fined $2,000 in court. Francis Richardson, director of Marine and Ports, says an internal disciplinary meeting will take place later in the month to address the pilot's conduct and that Pearman will have to appear before an examining committee.

January 17: The Ministry of Transport reveals that Pearman has been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing.

January 21: Pearman, 37, is fired.

January 30: Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU), representing Pearman's co-workers at Marine and Ports Services, gives management until 3 p.m. the next day to reinstate him or face industrial action.

January 31: The Government says it has a "zero tolerance" policy on substance abuse which will not be compromised. It adds that it is committed to an arbitration process to resolve the matter and will be bound by its decision.

February 1: Morning ferry services are disrupted as ferry workers meet to discuss their next move. They agree to work to rule until Pearman is given a job.

February 4: The BIU votes to give Government 48 hours to reinstate Pearman or it will call a general meeting, bringing all public transport to a halt.

Premier and Tourism and Transport Minister Ewart Brown says: "We have a zero tolerance for endangering the wellbeing of our passengers because anything less would rattle the public's confidence in our commitment to public safety. Safety must not be compromised." Labour Minister David Burch says that industrial action is unlawful during the arbitration process.

Yesterday (February 5): Dr. Brown says the Ministry of Tourism and Transport has offered Pearman a position as a seaman.