A captain who was called back early to his ship was found to be drunk on the bridge and fined $3000 in Tauranga District Court today.

In what is the first case of its kind in New Zealand, 37-year-old Pramod Kumar pleaded guilty to ‘attempting to perform designated duties' while his breath alcohol level was more than 250 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath.

Pramod Kumar leaves court today.

He blew 1229 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath - nearly five times the legal limit - and was fined $3000 by Judge Robert Wolff, plus $130 court costs.

It is legislation that has been on the New Zealand law books since October 2013, but it is the first time it has been used.

Pramod first appeared in court this morning, but Judge Wolff adjourned until the afternoon so he could receive more detailed information about the ship African Harrier, the cargo, and the degree of risk to the public.

The ship arrived at 2am Friday from Vancouver to discharge bagged fertiliser. At that stage, Captain Kumar had been at sea for 47 days in a voyage that was close to the track of Cyclone Pam in its later stages.

The Captain left the ship on Saturday and was called back on Sunday because loading had finished early.

He greeted the pilot on the bridge, who noticed he was drunk and called Maritime New Zealand. Maritime NZ called then called the police to conduct breath testing.

'The ship was still alongside the wharf,” said Pramod's lawyer, Nicholas Dutch. 'The difficulty is he should never have been on the bridge.”

By being on the bridge, the captain is deemed to be in charge of the ship.

The African Harrier in the Port of Tauranga today.

'The captain of this type of ship doesn't drive the ship,” added Dutch, 'there are other people qualified to do that. The first officer also has a master's certificate and two others on the bridge all the time as well.”

Dutch insisted the risk to the public from an alcohol-affected captain on the bridge of the 37,000-tonne bulk carrier was not as great as on a smaller ship where the captain would have the helm

But he was legally in charge of the ship by being on the bridge.

'The pilot would have steered the ship out of Tauranga harbour, then the first or second officer would have taken over,” he said. 'The captain should have gone to bed and not gone anywhere near the bridge.”

The captain is being flown back to Mumbai tonight where Nicholas says he faces consequences that could have serious economic effects.

Pramod has 20 years' experience at sea and has been a captain for five years. Being given a new ship like the African Harrier as a command was an indication of his standing with his employers.

The charge carries a maximum fine of $10,000 and one year in jail.

Judge Wolff said the ship was still tied up and others were able to undertake Captain Kumar's duties, so there was no real or appreciable risk. He set $5000 as a deterrent starting point and reduced that by $1000 for his previously clean record, and another $1000 for the early guilty plea.