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AFP
A French court on Monday sentenced the captain of a US cruise ship to a fine of 100,000 euros (more than 76 million Chilean pesos) for use as a excessively polluting fuel a first in France.
Carnival the company for which he works, must pay 80% of the total amount, specified the judgment rendered by a court of Marseilles (south-east).
During an inspection carried out in March during the cruise "Azura", a giant 300 meters long that can accommodate 3,100 pbadengers and 1,250 crew members the French authorities discovered that it was working with a fuel exceeding the allowable limit of sulfur. [19659002] Carnival, a world leader in cruise tourism, "wanted to save money at the expense of our lungs," said prosecutor Franck Lagier.
Captain Evans Hoyt knew the fuel was illegal. It contained 1.68% sulfur, exceeding the European limit of 1.5% said Lagier at the trial.
The "Azura" loaded 900 tons of fuel in Barcelona, before going to Marseille. Lagier said the company saved 21,000 euros by buying high-sulfur diesel.
The regulations on the amount of sulfur allowed vary by country. The European Union introduced new rules across the continent in 2015, but its application is uneven across European ship types and countries.
"The cruise market is growing rapidly, especially in the Mediterranean, creating ever greater problems" Lagier warned.
The French organizations for the environment, France Nature Environnement, the Surfrider Foundation and the League for the Protection of Birds, which constituted the civil parties of the lawsuit, obtained 5,000 euros each for damages.
Under the new international regulations put in place by the International Maritime Organization, only fuel containing 0.50% sulfur will be allowed on ships from 2020.
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