Prosecution for deliberate pollution of the waters
A Russian captain of the Liberian-flagged Matterhorn ship prosecuted for deliberate pollution of the waters, was sentenced to a 1-m-euro fine by the correctional court of Brest.
The sentence is consistent with the prosecution Bertrand Leclerc, the prosecutor said at the hearing on 7 January, calling it a voluntary pollution, not a failure or an accidental release, while the captains lawyer insisted on the negligence and carelessness, which resulted in a leak of petroleum products.
The court stated that 90% of the fine to be paid by Eastwind Transport, the Greek shipowner. The captain and the owner must also pay a total of 28.600 euros to seven organizations that had represented the civil parties, LExpress reports.
In May 2009 the 115-m-length reefer ship left the Port of Kaliningrad heading for the Canary Islands. When the ship was passing along France coastline, the local authorities found a large oil patch they alleged left by the ship. On May 26 the shipmaster was forced to be docked at the port of Brest. At the time of detention the reefer crew consisted of 15 members 13 citizens of Russia and the two Ukrainians. Prosecutors of Brest set a 300.000-euro bail to make the ship could leave port, but the company owner has declared itself bankrupt, and the bail was not paid.
The Matterhorn is not the first foreign ship to have been convicted of similar offenses by a French court, LExpress said. On 1 July 2009, the Brest court had sentenced shipmasters a Liberian cargo ship and an Egyptian cargo ship with record fines of $1 million and 2 million euros accordingly.
Source:Shiptalk
