Criminal prosecution for environmental offences

• In August 2003, a Bulgarian-registered cargo ship,Dobrudja, was prosecuted after dumping oil in the Bay of Biscay. A patrol aircraft spotted a slick in the water and samples taken from the ship's hold confirmed that the Dobrudja was to blame. In December 2003, the ship's captain was fined Euro 200,000.
• In February 2002, the chief officer of the containership Melbridge Bilbao was convicted for falling asleep while on duty and switching off alarms before the ship grounded on the coast of Brittany.
• In December 2000, the owner and master of the Fareast Victory were charged in absentia with causing pollution after the release of fuel residues. The master initially claimed that he had only washed out his cargo tanks, which had carried coal on a previous voyage; however, he ultimately admitted that coal residues do not produce the type of slick that was present near the Fareast Victory.

07 Jul 2004