NOS News•today, 4:04 PM
Shipping company Seatrade pays the Public Prosecution Service (OM) an amount of more than 2.6 million euros for illegally having ships scrapped abroad. Two directors also contribute to the amount. This is a so-called transaction, which is intended to prevent the company from further prosecution.
The Dutch shipping company and its directors had four ships demolished on beaches in India, Bangladesh and Turkey. This violated European rules. These include that hazardous waste may not be transported to countries such as India.
Ships that sail under their own power to such a demolition beach contain large quantities of hazardous substances, such as bunker oil, lubricating oil and asbestos. This means that demolition is bad for the environment and the people who work on the demolition beaches.
When the ships left the port of Rotterdam in 2012, it was already clear that they would be scrapped illegally abroad.
Seatrade not only pays the millions to avoid further prosecution; the shipping company has also reached a settlement with the Public Prosecution Service of 3 million euros. According to the Public Prosecution Service, that is the amount that the shipping company would have earned from the demolition.
Regret
In 2018, the Rotterdam court already imposed fines on the shipping company and the directors. Seatrade denied that there was intent and appealed. Two years later, the verdict was annulled by the court in The Hague, because there were doubts about the impartiality of a judge.
Seatrade management acknowledges that the ships were taken to India, Bangladesh and Turkey and that the rules were violated. The shipping company regrets that choice and says it will adhere to the rules in the future.
By paying for the transaction and the settlement, the shipping company avoids a new criminal case.
