Reports said Wolfgang Schroder entered the plea through his attorney this week (Wednesday 10 May).
The bow of the ZIM Mexico III, chartered by Israel-based ZIM Lines, hit the crane, which was not in use at the time, as it was turning in the river. Two electricians, both employees of Gulf Electric Co. Inc., of Mobile, Alabama were installing a device on the crane – the largest container crane at the dock – when it was hit.
The electrician who died, identified by police as 46-year-old Shawn David Jacobs, of Mobile, could not immediately be retrieved from the wreckage. Rescue workers later removed his body.
Officials would not identify the second electrician, who essentially walked away from the scene. Witnesses said that the crane fell slowly and that people below scattered as the metal ripped apart.
Built by Hayward, California-based Paceco Corp., the crane was purchased in 1976. It was painted with the Alabama state flag and the words “Port of Alabama.”
When upright, the crane towered 196ft above the docks. It was used to move cargo containers between ships and a paved lot, where the boxes are stacked until they are shipped to other destinations by truck, ship or rail.
The ship had arrived in Mobile from Kingston, Jamaica carrying general cargo. It had been unloaded and was scheduled to leave, bound for Houston, but was delayed by fog.
The case will go to trial in July.
