In July 2006 the vessel Probo Koala, owned by international oil company Trafigura, dumped tonnes of hazardous trash outside Abidjan, the Ivory Coast. The cargo, made up of among other highly dangerous substances lye and oil production waste, was supposed to be exported from the Netherlands to the Ivory Coast, but as the port authorities in Abidjan deemed the cargo too dangerous to be allowed ashore, it was simply washed out into sea. Some 30,000 people fell ill and 17 died in the aftermath.
A court in the Netherlands has now fined Trafigura € 1 million (roughly US$ 1,3 million) for illegal exporting and dumping of toxic trash. The fine was about half of what prosecutors had called for, but they have stated that they see the ruling as a victory. In earlier settlements, Trafigura has paid £100 million (roughly US$ 154 million) to the Ivorian government and £30 million (roughly US$46 million).
everydaytrash 