The Beersheba Magistrates Court has imposed fines of less than $75,000 on the Europe Asia Pipeline Company (EAPC) for damage to mature coral reefs and sea creatures caused during maintenance work the company conducted at Eilat’s oil terminal, in January 2014.
The High Court of Justice also rejected the appeal against the convictions of two EAPC directors, and upheld fines totaling approximately $50,000.
Amit Bracha, attorney and CEO of Adam Teva V’Din commented that these fines as well those relating to an earlier case in regard to EAPC’s pollution of Nahal Zin (the Zin stream) in two incidents in 2011 are insufficient.
“They are mere slaps on the wrist to a serious serial polluter. The courts are yet to conduct hearings into the 2014 disaster at the Evrona Nature Reserve, also due to insufficient oversight of pipe management. We hope that the Evrona case, the worst contamination event to date, will convince the courts that EAPC must be dealt a much more severe blow for its abuse of Israel’s natural resources.”
