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Shipowner Georg Eide has been sentenced to six months in unconditional prison for violating the Pollution Control Act.
Georg Eide was previously the sole owner of the bankrupt Eide Marine Services in Halsnøy, Kvinnherad.
Eirik Brekke / BT (file)
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Ecocrime believed that shipowner Georg Eide had attempted to send the “Tide Carrier” for illegal demolition on a beach in Pakistan.
They were confirmed by the Sunnhordland District Court on Friday, Økokrim reports in a press release.
“The business leader was accused of complicity in the export of waste in violation of the Pollution Control Law. The district court found that he had a central role in assisting the ship to take off and that the course of action was highly reprehensible. The district court emphasized a growing need to protect the environment and a generally strict view of environmental crime, “Økokrim writes.
– The business leader was aware that the ship would be scrapped in Asia, says the prosecutor in the case, Acting State Prosecutor Maria Bache Dahl.
Considering the appeal
At the same time, Eide Marine Eiendom AS is condemned to bear the confiscation of criminal dividends of NOK 2 million, according to Økokrim.
– The scrapping of obsolete ships is a major international environmental problem. As a great maritime nation, it is important that the Norwegian authorities contribute to the fight against this problem, says Bache Dahl.
Eide did not plead guilty in court after the indictment. The verdict is not final.
Attorney Christian Dyngeland, who represented Eide and the company in court, says they do not agree with the verdict, which is now read carefully.
– We must read it carefully now, but we do not agree with the reasoning and conclusion, says Dyngeland, who at the same time confirms that an appeal will be considered.
Background: For ten years, the giant ship remained unused in Kvinnherad. It then became the center of a case involving tax havens, life-threatening demolitions and anonymous warnings.
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Georg Eide was on the list of the richest in the country. Today, he is charged with attempted illegal piracy of ships.
I think Eide was the director
According to the indictment issued in November 2019, Eide and his assistants at the end of 2016/17 made sure to allow the ship “Tide Carrier” to leave the country.
The ship had operating expenses in the millions when it was stored at Høylandsbygd in Kvinnherad. When he put to sea, fuel, parts and supplies had to be supplied. The diver had to repair a tear in the hull. During the test of the ship’s engines and seaworthiness on Monday, February 20, 2017, the “Tide Carrier” needed help from a tugboat. The prosecution believes that Eide was the director.
Later that day, the ship’s captain began the journey to Gadani in Pakistan, where the ship was to be cut up on a beach, without permission from the Norwegian Environment Agency.
Rescue operation and engine breakdown
Two days after the departure from Høylandsbygd, “Tide Carrier” had an engine failure and was put into operation outside of Jærstrendene in Klepp. The rescue operation at the Feistein lighthouse ended with the ship being towed to Gismarvik, where it was docked.
On Friday, February 24, 2017, the Norwegian Maritime Directorate prohibited the ship from sailing. On Monday April 3, 2017, the Norwegian Environment Agency decided that the ship could not leave Norway without a permit. On Thursday, July 6, 2017, the Ministry of Climate and Environment confirmed the decision.
Økokrim agreed with the Sunnhordland District Court that Eide has been involved in attempts to export waste for recycling in a non-OECD state. The ship contained, among other things, asbestos materials, electrical waste and various types of oils. Eide is accused of violating the Pollution Control Law and the Waste Regulation.
Eide was not the owner of “Tide Carrier” when he prepared for the trip to Pakistan. The boat was already sold in 2015 after many years in circulation.
