Umm Al Quwain: The hearing in the case against the owner of the White Whale ship, which sunk in UAE waters last year, has been adjourned to give more time for the owner to answer Ministry of Environment questions.
The Ministry is demanding Dh20 million in compensation from the owner.
Compensation claims for environmental damages caused by the incident are divided into Dh2 million to control the environmental pollution caused by the ship and avoid the spread of oil and a further Dh2.1m for salvaging the ship.
Dh15.85 million compensation is being sought for the pollution of marine creatures and damage caused by diesel leakage which disturbed marine movement in the area.
It was believed the sunken ship had been carrying several hundred tonnes of diesel.
Its owner, A.F.A, appeared in an Umm Al Quwain court for the first time on Sunday and requested the judge adjourn the case after the Ministry of Environment’s lawyer submitted their draft against him.
The Umm Al Quwain judge adjourned the case until after the Eid Al Adha holiday, after the White Whale owner asked for time to answer the Ministry of Environment’s questions, a judicial official told Gulf News.
On September 24, the court in Umm Al Quwain issued an order for the man’s arrest after he failed to attend previous court hearings in the case.
The Umm Al Quwain prosecution introduced five charges to the court on July 29 against the owner and against the captain of the 60-metre-long tanker. In August, both the owner and captain were found guilty of all five charges of polluting the environment in connection with the ship’s sinking on October 22, 2011.
The ship 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 the 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.
The prosecution claim the Ajman-based shipping company put the lives of the nine members of 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.
It is also alleged 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 reported repeated sightings of oil slicks in the area.
Anglers said 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 was covered by the Ministry of Environment and Water.
