Umm Al Quwain court orders ship owner’s arrest

Umm Al Quwain: The owner of the White Whale ship, which sunk in UAE waters last year faces arrest after the court in Umm Al Quwain issued an order for his arrest, a judicial official told Gulf News.

Action was ordered by the court after the Arab owner of the ship, identified as A.F.A, failed to appear at a court hearing on Monday in the case against him, registered by the Ministry of Environment and Water.

The court has issued the order to arrest the owner and bring him to court.

It has also postponed hearing the case until October 14, on the request of the Ministry of Environment lawyer, to give the ship’s owner a final chance to settle the case.

“The owner will be arrested anytime and stay in the jail till the date of the next hearing on October 14”, the official said

The Somali captain, identified as F.A.A, attended the previous court hearings, the official said

The Umm Al Quwain prosecution introduced five charges to the court on July 29 against the owner and captain of the 60-metre-long tanker.

In August, both the owner and captain were found guilty of all five charges.

The owner has been ordered to pay Dh4.5million but has claimed he cannot afford the payment.

They are accused of polluting the environment in connection with the ship’s sinking on October 22, 2011.

It came to rest in 35 metres of water, 25 kilometres off the UAQ coastline where it languished for eight months until it was salvaged from the sea bottom on June 14.

After White Whale was raised, investigators discovered the ship’s holds were empty.

This was in sharp contrast to earlier reports that the ship was laden with 1,000 tonnes of diesel fuel.

Charges filed by prosecution allege that the Ajman-based shipping company put lives of the nine-member crew at risk when the ship foundered in heavy seas and, that senior officials with the company didn’t take the necessary precautions to limit pollution from contaminating the environment.

Additional charges include allegations that The White Whale entered UAE waters without paperwork, carried diesel fuel in an improper oil transport ship and, carried diesel without a proper certificate.

Commercial fishermen at the time reporterd repeated sightings of oil slicks in the area.

Anglers said that the sight of dead fish in the water was becoming more common and they blamed the shipwreck for the losses.

The cost of the salvage operation, estimated to cost of Dh4.5 million, was covered by the Ministry of Environment and Water.