Two detained in Dutch Investigations Into Ivory Coast Pollution

WARRANT ISSUED FOR ARREST OF CAPTAIN, TWO DETAINED

PROBO KOALA Saga Moves To Netherlands, Prosecutors Detain Two Managers

The Ivory Coast waste story has not finished. Hardly a day after Trafigura, the company that chartered the ship that had its waste unloaded on the Ivory Coast, announced it had reached a settlement with the Ivory Coast authorities and given them 152 million Euros, to get back directors arrested there, another twist is added as Dutch authorities step in.

Two managers of Amsterdam Port Services have been detained by authorities in the Netherlands for questioning over waste that was allegedly loaded back onto the PROBO KOALA after APS refused to handle it.

This waste then ended up on the Ivory Coast where a local contractor dumped it near residential neighbourhoods causing widespread sickness and ten deaths.

It is has emerged that APS refused to handle waste from the PROBO KOALA in Amsterdam because it did not look, or smell, like the normal bye-product waste Trafigura claimed it was from washing unrefined oil from the ship's cargo tanks. A sub contractor began pumping the waste and it became clear the waste was far more concentrated than what would have been expected.

APS demanded that Trafigura pay a much higher price for the waste disposal as they claimed the waste was not what Trafigura has said it would be and the initial contract price of 15,000 euros was changed to a demand of half a million Euros.

According to APS Trafigura refused to pay and the waste was returned to the ship after several days of deliberation and argument. This was the waste that eventually ended up in the Ivory Coast after the vessel departed Amsterdam for Nigeria with a cargo of oil.

The Dutch prosecutors are determining whether or not the failure to prevent the ship leaving Amsterdam was a crime and too find out if this was the case, who is to blame for it.

A report by an independent investigation published in December of last year said that the ship should never have been allowed to leave port, but that this was in hindsight and the rules were unclear.

The Dutch prosecutors said, "The investigation focuses mainly on three suspects: the ship's captain, oil freight company Trafigura Beheer BV and waste processor Amsterdam Port Services BV (APS)."

A warrant has also been issued for the arrest of the ship's captain.