The captain of a factory supertrawler has been sent forward for trial after he was charged with a number of fishing offences off the Irish coast earlier this week.
William Van Der Boon (40), with an address at Katwijk, Aanzee, Netherlands, was brought before Cork District Court on Thursday where he was charged with seven offences in relation to his command of the 116 metre German-registered supertrawler, Helen Mary.
The supertrawler is owned by Oberdank Hochsee Fisherei of Sassnitz-Neu Mukran in Germany, and is registered in Rostock. All seven charges relate to the alleged breach of European Union fishing regulations within the exclusive fisheries limits of the State.
Mr Van Der Boon was charged with one summary offence, that on February 16th he failed to comply with the direction of Sea Fisheries Protection officer Thomas Ferron within the exclusive fishery limits of the State, which can be dealt with at District Court level.
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He was also charged with six indictable offences, to be dealt with at Circuit Court level, including that he failed as master of the Helen Mary to provide a boarding ladder to facilitate safe and convenient access to the vessel, enabling inspectors to embark and disembark safely at sea.
He was also charged with two other charges relating to the boarding ladder, namely that he failed to have it positioned and secured correctly so each step rested firmly against the trawler’s side and that he failed to ensure the steps on the ladder were not less than 115mm wide.
Mr Van Der Boon was also charged with three documentary offences, including one charge that he had equipment for grading horse mackerel by size on board the Helen Mary without having the required certificate of derogation.
He was also charged with failing to have a properly certified drawing outlining the Helen Mary’s capability to discharge waste catch overboard and failing to have on board a drawing relating to the trawler’s catch handling ability.
Garda Dermot Broughton of Mayfield Garda station gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution and told the court that when he charged Mr Van Der Boon with all seven offences at Lisheen Berth, Tivoli Docks in Cork, the Dutch master made no reply to any of the charges.
[ Supertrawler detained off Irish coast for alleged fishing-regulation breachesOpens in new window ]
State solicitor Frank Nyhan said the DPP had directed trial by indictment on six of the charges and a Book of Evidence had been served on the accused. He sought to have him remanded on bail on his own bond to the next sitting of Cork Circuit Criminal Court.
Defence solicitor Dermot Conway said the State had agreed for the owners of the Helen Mary to lodge a cash bond of €425,000 to allow the vessel to be released.
Mr Nyhan said the State was satisfied to forego any cash bond by Mr Van Der Boon in those circumstances and agreed to the Helen Mary being released from detention on Mr Conway’s undertaking that the €425,000 cash bond would be lodged with the Court Services.
Judge Mary Dorgan accepted the State application for a remand on bail. She remanded the accused to the next sitting of Cork Circuit Criminal Court on April 28th on the six indictable charges and to Cork District Court on the same date on the single summary offence.
