ICS warns of serious concerns after imprisonment of seafarers

“The decision by the Korean court to imprison two officers of the ‘Hebei Spirit’ is very regrettable indeed and further adds to the concerns that the shipping industry has about the criminalisation of seafarers in general,” said Polemis.

The incident happened in December 2007, when a crane barge broke free of its moorings and collided with the oil tanker mv ‘Hebei Spirit’ whilst at anchor 10 km (6.2 miles) off the coast of South Korea. The vessel was punctured in three places causing the subsequent release of an estimated 2.8m gallons of crude oil.

“The ‘Hebei Spirit’ was at anchor when she was rammed by a barge and yet the officers from the anchored vessel have somehow now ended up in jail. Whatever the legal arguments, the international shipping industry – for whom we speak – cannot comprehend such an outcome,” he continued.