He thought he could throw plastic waste overboard with impunity.
It was without counting on the eye of a boater.
The Marseille prosecutor's office announced on Thursday that it had opened an investigation against a cargo ship flying the Panamanian flag suspected of having thrown in the Mediterranean, off the Alpes-Maritimes, bags of polyurethane, a material derived from plastic .
It all began on August 21 with a report from a yachtsman, at the Cap Ferrat semaphore, of the rejection by a ship of “waste, contained in two rubble bags”, explained in a press release the Marseille prosecutor's office, who is responsible for the specialized maritime littoral jurisdiction, competent in matters of marine pollution.
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Two bags containing polyurethane, one of a cubic meter and the second half-filled, are then recovered by the customs boat guided by air means, in French territorial waters, off the Alpes-Maritimes, while the ship was heading for Savona in Italy.
One year in prison and 200,000 euros incurred
On August 29, a preliminary investigation was opened on the count of unauthorized dumping of garbage into the territorial sea.
An offense punishable in France, according to the environment code, of one year of imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 euros.
Polyurethane is a material derived from plastic, used among others in the medical field, home insulation, furniture but also in textiles.
A request for a European investigation was also addressed to the Italian authorities and executed three days later, by the prosecutor of Salerno, "port in which the ship had been identified as calling", according to the prosecutor of Marseille Dominique Laurens.
"The investigations requested, in particular the observations on board and the hearing of the captain, made it possible to confirm the involvement of the ship," she added. "The criminal investigation is continuing in order in particular to ensure the appearance of the accused, natural and legal persons, before the Marseille Criminal Court," continued prosecutor Laurens.