WILLEMSTAD - Oilchart International, a Belgian company with operations in Barendrecht, Netherlands, has been convicted on appeal for mixing chemical waste into marine fuel and illegally shipping it to Belgium.
The court imposed a fine of €150,000 on the company and ordered it to forfeit €300,000 in profits. The company's managing director was held personally accountable for the violations.
Contaminated Fuel from Curaçao
An investigation by Follow the Money and the Flemish platform Apache revealed that the illegal activities involved used ship oil and other waste products, including materials from garages in Curaçao. These were blended into fuel for ships and unlawfully exported to Europe for sale on the European market.
Initially, a court in Antwerp acquitted Oilchart, deeming the materials as raw substances rather than waste. However, this ruling was overturned on appeal, partially due to similar convictions in the Netherlands. The Belgian Public Prosecutor highlighted internal communications within Oilchart, where employees referred to the materials as "junk" and "Cura-trash," as evidence that the company knowingly engaged in illegal practices.
Decades of Fuel Mixing
The violations came to light following a tip-off from Dutch police. Subsequent investigations revealed that Oilchart, which operates in the Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Antwerp regions, has been blending oil products into marine fuel for over 40 years. While the company promotes itself as a supplier of high-quality fuels, it has now been found guilty of multiple breaches of international regulations.
This conviction marks a significant blow to Oilchart’s reputation, as it raises questions about its commitment to quality and adherence to environmental and legal standards.