The sale of the 'Westerhamm', that was later scrapped in Alang, is unlikely to have any criminal consequences for the German shipping company Döhle. The Hamburg Regional Court rejected charges against two authorized signatories. The public prosecutor's office had accused the two defendants of selling the ship to a so-called cash buyer in Hong Kong in order to have it scrapped. The authorized representatives allegedly knew that the freighter would ultimately be scrapped in India under conditions that did not meet standard environmental standards. The ship had contained around 14,000 tons of hazardous waste. Another defendant is alleged to have organized the sale of the container ship and its transport to Alang . According to the indictment, he sold the shi at the end of 2016 for around $4.8 million. He is also alleged to have instructed the captain to drive the freighter onto the beach in Alang, where it was subsequently scrapped. Even if the prosecutor's account were entirely correct, the facts would not be punishable in Germany, the regional court ruled. The ship was transported from Italy to India. There was never even the intention of crossing a border into German territory. Even the conclusion of the contract in Germany does not change this. The public prosecutor's office is considering whether to appeal the non-opening of the case.
