Ship demolition cash buyer Wirana Shipping has paid a NOK 7m ($767,000) fine in Norway for its role in attempting to demolish the 38,282-dwt barge carrier Harrier (ex-Eide Carrier, built 1989) in Gadani, Pakistan, according to Norwegian police.
In a statement, police said Wirana had broken a European Union directive on the shipment of waste that had been incorporated into Norwegian Law.
It is the same EU directive under which Dutch reefer operator Seatrade was prosecuted in the Netherlands last year for three demolition deals at Asian beaching yards.
Legal representatives for the Singapore-based company said it does not accept wrongdoing or agree with the fine, but has paid it to settle the matter, as a trial in Norway would be costly and complex.
The ship has undergone a number of name and flag changes in the long-running demolition saga that dates back to 2017.
Norwegian police said that in its role as commercial manager, Singapore-based Wirana was responsible for the “destination, purpose and manner of execution of the vessel”.
Laid-up vessel
The ship, which was renamed Tide Carrier, had been laid up for 10 years before Wirana attempted to sail it from Kvinnherad in Norway for demolition in February 2017.
The vessel suffered a breakdown two days into the voyage, leaving it adrift off the beaches of Jaeren, southern Norway.
The Norwegian Coastal Administration said that the ship presented an “imminent risk of acute pollution” to an environmentally sensitive area and, as such, was in breach of the Norwegian Pollution Control Act.
False statement
Wirana was also penalised for making a false statement to a public authority as it sought to win approval for the sailing, despite it being in breach of waste export laws.
Police said Wirana had presented a “fictitious contract” to the Norwegian authorities that stated the ship was heading for Africa.
They added Wirana had also presented port state control inspectors with invalid nationality papers from the Comoros ship registry and “inauthentic” certificates issued by the Union Marine Class Society prior to the vessel’s departure.
The papers had been presented so that the Norwegian Maritime Directorate could prove compliance with international safety and environmental conventions, which would allow the ship to leave.
Pollution penalty
As Wirana was barred from demolishing the ship in Pakistan under EU law, it was later sent to breakers in Turkey.
However, as TradeWinds reported in February, before the ship reached the demolition yard it caused pollution that led to its arrest against $4m in clean-up costs.
Wirana said that as commercial manager, rather than owner, of the vessel it should not be the subject of a fine.
