newjerseynewsroom.com

Two tourists from Hungary died.

Matthew R. Devlin, 35, of Catskill, N.Y. was sentenced Tuesday to a year in federal prison for misconduct as a ship operator for his role in the fatal July 7, 2010 collision between a "Duckboat" carrying tourists and a barge guided by a towboat on the Delaware River off Camden.

In the accident, the barge, The Resource, which was guided by the towing vessel Caribbean Sea and piloted by Devlin, ran over a boat operated by Ride the Ducks International. As a result, two passengers on the duck boat who were visiting from Hungary, Szabolcs Prem, 20, and Dora Schwendtner, 16, were killed.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Legrome D. Davis in Philadelphia. Devlin is to report to prison on Jan. 5. Devlin also surrendered his Coast Guard-issued license as a mate.

Devlin pleaded guilty to the charge on Aug. 1, admitting that for an extended period of time prior to the collision, he was distracted by his use of a cell phone and a laptop computer to attend to personal matters. He elected to pilot the Caribbean Sea from its lower wheelhouse, where he had significantly reduced visibility in comparison to the perspective from the upper wheelhouse; and did not maintain a proper lookout or comply with other essential rules of seamanship.

"The resolution of this case was made possible through the cooperation of the DOJ (Department of Justice) and the U.S. Coast Guard," Cmdr. Jonathan Maiorine, preventions department chief for Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, said. “This joint effort has helped ensure there was accountability and increased safety in the wake of this tragedy."

—TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM