The captain agreed to a plea deal of one year and 11 months in prison, while the two deck officers agreed to a sentence of one year and 5 months. The shipping company, however, was sentenced to a fine, while the company that managed the Cdry Blue motor vessel will continue the preliminary hearing before judge Manuela Anzani. Thus, at least in part, the criminal proceedings opened for marine environmental disaster, pollution and negligent shipwreck opened on the evening of 21 December 2019, when the merchant ship ran aground at Capo Sperone, off the coast of Sant'Antioco, spilled into the sea. a large quantity of hydrocarbons.
The plea bargain
After the investigation by prosecutor Maria Virginia Boi, later inherited by her colleague Andrea Vacca, the defenders of the commander and the two officers agreed to a plea bargain with the Prosecutor's Office, also possible because the shipping company had already carried out environmental cleaning and reclamation operations immediately after the shipwreck. Thus, yesterday afternoon, Judge Anzani signed the green light to the agreement on penalties, reading the sentence that condemns Antonio Di Bello to one year and 11 months in prison (with suspended sentence), and one year and 5 months each Michele Rosetti and Mirko Zenone (their sentences are also suspended). The shipping company R&S Marittime srl, however, will have to pay a fine. The preliminary hearing, however, will continue on December 23 for the company Nuova Service srl, which is accused of administrative liability of legal entities.
The disaster
The enormous ship that set sail from Cagliari ran aground off the coast of Sant'Antioco, spilling approximately 63 tons of hydrocarbons into the sea: naphtha, lubricating oil, oily bilge water and other petroleum derivatives. Much of the polluting material was never recovered: hence the claim that it was an environmental disaster. The 12 people on board were rescued by Coast Guard helicopters, while the wreck remained on the reef for a long time awaiting demolition and subsequent removal. The investigators of the Special Intervention Unit (NSI) of the general command of the Port Authorities of Rome carried out the judicial police investigations on behalf of the Prosecutor's Office. According to the investigators, the disaster was caused by negligent conduct carried out by the commander and two deck officers of the ship, with the navigation taking place in violation of the rules relating to navigation safety.
