Ashdod Magistrates Court last week fined the Ashdod Port Company, which operates the Port of Ashdod on Israel’s Mediterranean coast, 150,000shekels about £24,500.
On three separate occasions during the months of November and December back in 2005, polluted and murky wastewater and solid particles were discharged to the pier and from there through a drainage opening to the sea.
An examination of samples taken in two of the cases revealed the wastewater was mainly contaminated by oils, mineral oil, phosphorus and detergents.
In a plea bargain agreement, the company admitted to the offense and was fined the cash which it must pay to the Marine Pollution Prevention Fund.
It also signed a 300,000shekel agreement that it would not do it again or it would forfeit the cash.
Luke Walsh