SPSL UDEME

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Accused of grounding accident appeared at the court

The accused of the accident of the 'SPSL Udeme' off the Fidjrossè beach in Cotonou appeared before the judges of the Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism (CRIET) on Aug 14. The 14 crew members of the vessel that ran aground on Fidjrossè beach on the night of June 29 and three others, including two navy officers and a police officer, are being prosecuted for various offenses related to the accident. Apart from the crew and the men in uniform, the buyer of the diesel is also in pretrial detention awaiting trial. The ship was carrying more than 200 tonnes of diesel. During the trial the representative of the public prosecutor asked the Court to order the dismantling of the wreck and to charge the expenses related to this operation to the defendants and the owner of the ship, based on articles 48, 49 and following of the maritime code in force in Benin. The judge followed this request from the special prosecutor's office. The defense lawyers requested provisional release for their clients, but the public prosecutor opposed it. The Court postponed the decision to November 7. The 18 defendants returned to prison pending the next hearing during which the judge will give his decision on the defendants' request for provisional release.

Grounding in Cotonou

On June 30, 2024 at around 2 a.m. the 'SPSL Udeme' ran aground with nine people on board in Cotonou, near Fidjrossè beach, and tilted on its side in local waters. A mechanical failure had disabled the ship, which then went adrift. Specialized teams from the navy, from the autonomous port of Cotonou, as well as the maritime prefecture, firefighters and technicians were mobilized to prevent an oil spill. At around 6 p.m., five tank trucks with capacities varying between 35,000 and 40,000 liters of the Benafrique Logistic have arrived at Fidjrossè beach to drain the contents of the fuel tanks under heavy police surveillance. An area of ​​Fidjrossè beach is also demarcated by the police. Only actors mobilized by the authorities were authorized to enter. The ship’s crew has been arrested by the police and were in the hands of the Special River and Maritime Police Unit (USPFM), being accused of not having notified the authorities of the mechanical breakdown. Reports with photos: https://beninwebtv.com/benin-navire-echoue-a-fidjrosse-la-peur-pour-lenvironnement-ecartee/ https://matinlibre.com/2024/07/02/navire-echoue-a-fidjrosse-loperation-de-transvasement-effectue/